Mirrors
by smartalec121
Summary: [Just a Universe Apart, Vol. 2] Sometimes, lives can be altered by a single choice. When a portal to an alternate universe opens, the Tamers must face the consequences of one such decision. For some of them, it means seeing a life that could still come to pass.
1. Rough Mornings

_Just a quick heads-up: This fic follows the events of my last one,_ Just a Universe Apart _. While I'll be doing my best to make this story stands on its own, some scenes and subplots might not make sense without the prior context. TL;DR versions of relevant events will be given as we go, but reading the actual work would likely do a better job of getting you up to speed. I guess what I'm saying is that it's your choice on how to proceed._

 _And, of course..._

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Rough Mornings**

Nightlife in Shinjuku was not as exciting as it had been promised to be. Granted, Terriermon wasn't human, so there were parts of the city that he wasn't allowed access to. From his current spot atop a three story building, he looked across the street at small tavern, which seemed pretty full considering it was a weeknight.

Not that he had any interest in going in that particular building. If there was one thing Terriermon had learned from all the television he watched during the day, it was that humans and excess amounts of alcohol did not mix. He didn't see the appeal of impairing his judgment, as he liked to have his wits about him so that he could be ready and able to crack a joke when the opportunity arose.

"Hey, you done daydreamin', Helicopta Head?" a voice to Terriermon's left called to him. The voice belonged to Impmon, a small, purple Virus-type digimon and longtime friend of his. "I didn't invite you out here so that you could slow me down." Impmon crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, causing Terriermon to roll his eyes. Maybe "friend" wasn't the most accurate word to describe Impmon, as the two of them had never been particularly close.

"First of all, how can I be daydreaming in the middle of the night?" Terriermon replied. "Second, all we've been doing is wandering around aimlessly. I don't think you're missing anything."

"For all you know!" Impmon snapped.

"I _do_ know." Terriermon briefly considered giving Impmon the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had invited Terriermon out here, and anything was better than being cooped up in his human partner's apartment. Between his new "job" and his own busy work, Henry had become a bit reclusive lately, which also meant Terriermon didn't get to go outside much either. Still, in addition to not being in the best mood, Terriermon didn't see the point in not sharing what he was thinking. "Seriously, how do you do this every night?"

"Usually wit a lot less back-talk."

"I'll leave you to it then. I'd hate to ruin your _busy_ night." Terriermon turned to leave, not really sure where he was going. He thought about going home, but wasn't enthusiastic about the idea. They were just a couple blocks from the Matsuki's bakery. In Terriermon's mind, Guilmon's reaction to losing his soon-to-be day-old bread was worth the detour.

Having made up his mind, Terriermon turned in the direction of the bakery. His departure was interrupted, however, when the sky lit up. Realizing the center of the disturbance was a block away in the opposite direction, he turned to face it.

"What da hell is dat?" Impmon asked quietly.

"Trouble," Terriermon answered before both digimon ran towards the light show.

Making matters worse was that Terriermon recognized what was happening. The white, crackling energy they were running towards was the direct result of interdimensional travel. Six months prior, the Tamers and their partners had traveled to a completely different reality to fight a potentially world-ending threat. Terriermon knew that only beings as powerful as the Digimon Sovereign had the innate ability to open portals like this one, which meant they were likely dealing with an extremely dangerous opponent.

Within a couple minutes, Terriermon and Impmon had reached their destination. Save for the newly-opened portal, the street was completely deserted. Reaching street-level, Terriermon expected to be met by a Mega-level digimon upon staring through the tear in reality. Instead, he saw something much different.

Through the hole in the world, Terriermon saw what he knew to be a digital field. The heavy fog obscured the immediate surroundings, but not the individuals inside the field. One was a Vilemon, a small, Champion-level digimon that the Tamers had encountered years ago.

The other digimon, however, caused both Terriermon and Impmon to do a double take. Facing off against the Vilemon was a red, saurian digimon who the two would recognize anywhere.

"Pineapple Head?" Impmon breathed, to which Terriermon nodded. The two of them were looking at Guilmon, or at least _a_ Guilmon. Flanking their friend's doppelganger was a third figure, who was definitely human. He wore a dark grey sweater with the hood pulled up and faced away from them. Even though he couldn't confirm the human's identity, uneasiness began to build up in Terriermon's stomach.

Refocusing on the fight, Terriermon could tell it was very one-sided. The Vilemon was injured and breathing heavily while Guilmon simply stared down his opponent. At first, Terriermon assumed Guilmon was in his feral state, but that wasn't the case. The pupils of the saurian's yellow eyes were dilated, but also seemed calm and focused.

Vilemon shrieked, letting off a blast in Guilmon's direction. With speed and precision Terriermon had never seen his friend wield before, Guilmon dodged and moved himself directly behind his opponent. Before Vilemon could react, Guilmon brought his right claw forward and skewered the smaller digimon.

There was a pause before Vilemon staggered backwards and burst into data. Before said data could disperse, however, Guilmon stepped forward and absorbed it. Terriermon felt a bit uneasy looking at the act, as he and his friends had sworn off loading their opponents' data years ago. Besides the fact that their bonds with their human partners made doing so for strength unnecessary, there were some moral issues with doing so. Absorbing another digimon meant their data could not be recycled and that digimon could never be reborn. Loading data meant killing an opponent in every sense of the word.

Neither Terriermon nor Impmon moved a muscle, though Terriermon was considering turning and running. Whether they were looking at their friend or not, he knew there was a possibility that they would be next if noticed. Terriermon also didn't like their chances of winning this fight without their human partners.

Then, just as Terriermon was beginning to back away, Guilmon turned his snout upwards and inhaled. With that, he turned and looked directly at the reality tear. The action caught the attention of his human partner, who spun around to look towards Terriermon and Impmon as well. The uneasiness Terriermon received from Guilmon's stare was nothing compared to fear he felt next, as he found himself looking into a pair of crimson eyes he thought he could never be afraid of.

Terriermon couldn't move as the two took a step towards them. Then, by some miracle, the tear began to flicker. His two would-be attackers took notice and paused. The tear flickered one final time before disappearing, leaving Terriermon and Impmon alone on the empty street.

"What… did we just see?" Impmon asked.

"Something that's going to be keeping us very busy," Terriermon replied nervously. His misgivings about running home were now gone.

* * *

Takato Matsuki threw himself upward in an effort to escape from his nightmare. He looked around his bedroom, wanting nothing more than to confirm he had come back to reality. Realizing how much he was sweating and how fast his heart was beating, he took a couple deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. Feeling slightly better, Takato resumed looking around the room.

The digital clock next to his bed read "5:23." Takato sighed, deciding it wasn't worth it to try and go back to sleep. He would have to start getting ready for school soon and, more importantly, didn't want to risk falling back into one of his nightmares.

As he started to stand, he realized he had the undivided attention of his digimon partner. Wide awake with a mixture of concern and curiosity on his face, Guilmon tracked Takato's movement across the room. Not wanting to burden Guilmon with his problems this early in the morning, Takato forced a smile as he exited the bedroom and moved towards the bathroom.

Takato closed the door behind him and, after running the faucet for a couple seconds, splashed some water onto his face in an attempt to make sure he stayed awake. He looked into the bathroom mirror, finding a set of tired, crimson eyes staring back at him.

 _What if they're not just dreams?_ a voice in the back of his mind asked. It wouldn't be the first time one of his dreams was more than just that, but he refused to consider the possibility that his recurring nightmares could come to pass. Still, he had trouble remembering his other dreams in such vivid detail.

In these nightmares, Takato stood in the ruins of Shinjuku. Not as himself however, but in Gallantmon's Crimson Mode, the most powerful form he and Guilmon could take in combat. The form was different in his nightmares. While it usually represented the pinnacle of the knight-in-shining-armor stereotype in reality, there it possessed tattered wings and cracked and faded armor. The destruction before him was his doing. Not just due to his blind rage, but also the result of his fighting his friends who had tried to stop him.

The nightmare's final moments in particular stood out to Takato. Henry, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, and Suzie all lay unmoving at his feet. In his left hand he held Sakuyamon's throat. As usual, Rika and Renamon had lasted the longest in the fight to stop him, but the outcome was inevitable. Drawing his broadsword, Blutgang, he impaled Sakuyamon, causing her to separate into her component parts. Renamon was absorbed along with his other friends' partners while Rika's lifeless body fell from his grasp.

Takato closed his eyes and shook his head. The nightmares were becoming more frequent, with this being third night in a row that he had one. The very first one that he could recall had occurred about six months back. The Tamers had just returned from an alternate universe, having been called there to help combat a D-Reaper which had bonded itself to a vengeful Myotismon. One of their own had fallen during the fighting, causing Takato to take on a feral version of his Crimson Mode. He hadn't hurt any of his friends, but he felt guilty for putting them in danger like that.

Takato opened his eyes and turned towards the bathroom door. He assured himself that was all it was, and he wasn't going to let guilt have complete control of how he lived his life. He opened the bathroom, but jumped backwards a bit when he found Guilmon waiting for him on the other side.

"Guilmon!" Takato cried, trying not to yell so that he didn't wake his parents. "Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Sorry," Guilmon replied, his ears drooping down as he spoke. "I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine, boy." Takato collected himself and led his partner back to their shared bedroom. "You don't have to worry about me."

"But you're not fine, so I _do_ have to worry."

Takato sighed. He knew he should have known better than to lie to Guilmon. Like the other Tamers and their partners, he and Guilmon were linked physically, mentally, and emotionally. Their bond was a particularly strong one, as Takato had created Guilmon and brought him to life.

"You're right," Takato finally said. "But you're not going to have to worry much longer. These nightmares are going to pass."

"You promise?" Guilmon asked, perking up as he spoke.

"I promise."

* * *

Rika Nonaka paused upon tying her hair into her signature ponytail. She wondered how long she would be able to put off getting to her daily grind. She picked at the sleeve of her school uniform, knowing that she would never be comfortable in it no matter how old she got. The uniform wasn't who she was, nor did it represent anything she would ever want to be. This wasn't a secret, as anyone who knew anything about Rika knew it as fact. She decided to stop fussing over her uniform. At the very least, she had the consolation of knowing that her friends had started wearing uniforms of their own once they moved up to high school.

Rika walked across her bedroom to pick up her school bag. As she moved to pick up her cellphone, the device buzzed and lit up, indicating she had received a text message. The message was from Takato, or as the phone identified him, "Gogglehead." Rika already had a good idea of what the message said. It was likely the message she always received from the Tamers' de facto leader whenever he had no chores or prior commitments: "What are you doing after school today?"

Of course, these messages used to read "What are you guys doing after school?" as it would also be addressed to Henry. The amount of group messages Takato sent would eventually be reduced, as Henry's most frequent response had become "Working." Rika opened her phone to confirm her assumption and immediately closed it again.

"I wonder if Takato ever feels like you take him for granted," a smooth voice said to her from the corner of the room. The voice belonged to Rika's digimon partner, Renamon, who she turned to face.

"I'm sure Takato's fine," Rika replied. "Besides, I can't always be at his beckon call." To her own credit, Rika always replied to his messages eventually. Had it been an emergency, she wouldn't have hesitated to answer him.

"So this is your method of keeping him interested?" the yellow, fox digimon teased.

"And who gave you that idea?" Rika was doing her best to keep her face from turning red.

"Aren't you running a little late?" Renamon asked calmly, causing Rika to check the time on her phone.

"Crap…" Only Takato could make her late without even being present.

"Rika," Renamon said as the pair exited the bedroom. "Don't push your friends away."

"It's just a text, Renamon. I'll answer it when I'm ready."

Renamon phased out of sight as Rika jogged out of her house. She wasn't angry at what her partner was insinuating, as the kitsune always acted in her best interests. Still, Rika liked to think she had come a long way over the years. There was a point in her life when the idea of letting anyone get close to her made her feel physically ill, but those days were behind her. Even if she rarely admitted it out loud, this was thanks largely to Renamon, Takato, and the rest of her friends. That was something she could _never_ take for granted.

* * *

Henry Wong massaged his temple as he exited his bedroom. Terriermon had woken him up in the middle of the night, and had not let him return to sleep until the rabbit-dog had finished his tale from the night before. It didn't help that Terriermon was still following him around the apartment, trying to get him act on the reality tear.

"Come on, Henry," Terriermon said as he jumped on his shoulder. "This is important."

"I understand that," Henry replied, trying his best to not sound annoyed.

"Do you? Because it feels like you're trying to ignore me."

"I'm _not_ ignoring you."

"What's going on?" Suzie, Henry's younger sister, asked from the kitchen table.

"Nothing."

"Only if you consider an evil version of Takato nothing," Terriermon interjected as he leapt off Henry's shoulder and onto the table.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like nothing, Henry," Suzie added.

"Okay, enough," Henry said, addressing both his partner and his sister. "Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?"

"You can go ask Impmon if my word's not good enough for you," Terriermon replied as he crossed his arms.

"I didn't mean it like that, but it's a lot to take in. There are some pretty heavy implications if what you're saying is true."

"Yeah, like how we're going to deal with a digimon who's ripping a hole in the universe."

"We don't know that's the cause," Henry stated as he saw Suzie going for her D-Power. She had become a little too eager to jump into a fight in his opinion. "For all we know, this could have been a freak occurrence. I should be able to find out more after school."

"Right, your 'job'…" Terriermon said disappointedly.

"Let's not start this again," Officially, Henry was an intern at Hypnos, a position that Terriermon had made very clear that he wasn't fond of. To Henry, however, it both gave an opportunity to play a more active role in protecting the world from digital threats and gave him access to resources for his own projects.

"Yeah, I don't want you wasting your time on me."

"Look…" Henry considered coming up with a response, but realized he was running late upon checking the time. "…we can talk about this later."

Henry watched as Suzie bolted for the door with her partner, Lopmon, in tow while his own partner wondered off into the living room to find the TV remote. Shaking his head, he left the apartment. As long as everything went according to plan, this would all be worth it.

* * *

 _To anyone who's made it this far, thank you for taking the time._

 _Leave a review if you feel up to it, and I'll see you next chapter._


	2. After School Activities

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: After School Activities**

Jeri Katou was considered a good student by both her teachers and her peers. She did the work that was assigned to her and almost always got high marks. Still, there were some subjects that she wasn't particularly interested in. Chemistry was one of these subjects.

Not helping matters was the fact that it was her last class of the day. As much as Jeri liked to try to be the responsible and hard-working student others labeled her as, even she was not immune to the eager anticipation that took over everyone at this time of day. It was for this reason that she didn't mind sitting in the back of the class.

Takato sat to Jeri's immediate left, looking back and forth between the window and his notebook. Of course, she knew that her lab partner's mind was even farther from the class than hers was. Takato was drawing rather than taking notes, a habit which he had not dropped for as long as Jeri had known him.

Unfortunately for Takato, this fact was not lost on their instructor. Mr. Nakamura, who liked to walk around the room as he gave his lecture, had made his way to the back of the room. He had paused upon spotting Takato and was now standing over the boy.

"Mr. Matsuki," Mr. Nakamura announced. "Would you care to repeat _anything_ I just said?"

"Uh…" was Takato's only response. The leader of the Tamers turned pale as he looked up at his teacher. Jeri had watched many scenes like this one over the years, to the point where they had become nostalgic. She tried not to smile at Takato's expense.

"Come on, your pencil hasn't left your notebook since I started lecturing. This should be easy for you."

"I, uh, w-well… y-you see…" Takato stuttered as he looked at his notebook and around the room. All eyes were trained on him. The room was filled with snickers and giggles, the most audible of which belonged to Kazu and Kenta, who sat at a table to Jeri's right.

"Here, I'll help you out." Mr. Nakamura lifted the notebook off the table and began to flip through the pages. He sighed as though he weren't surprised at what he found. "Well, I'm not seeing a whole lot of chemistry here, Mr. Matsuki."

"Well, about that-"

"I do want to extend congratulations to Ms. Katou, Mr. Shioda, and Mr. Kitagawa. You three, among other things, are apparently more interesting than anything I have to say. Is that Henry Wong? He's in my second period class."

"Imagine that…" Takato slouched in his seat, obviously wanting to disappear.

"I take back what I said before," Mr. Nakamura said quietly. He grinned as he turned a few more pages. "I may have found some chemistry in here after all. Who's the girl, Matsuki?"

"What do you…?" Takato paused for a second, and then the confusion on his face turned into realization. Kazu and Kenta began to laugh out loud as his face turned red. "Aw, nuts."

Jeri needed no clarification as to what was going on. Only one Rika Nonaka could provoke that kind of response from Takato. Jeri felt a brief pang of jealousy, as there had been a time when she was the one most often responsible for making Takato flustered. She quickly pushed the feeling away before it had a chance to turn into guilt. She and Takato had come to terms with their feelings for each other a long time ago, and she _never_ wanted to be what stood between him and Rika. That was, of course, if the Tamer's leader and the Digimon Queen ever did sort out their relationship.

"How long do I have detention?" Jeri heard Takato ask meekly, which brought her back to reality.

Immediately after the question was asked, the school bell rang, indicating that the day was over. Mr. Nakamura closed the notebook and handed it back to Takato. "I'm going to let it slide this one time, Takato," he answered. "Just try to pay closer attention in the future."

"I'll do my best."

"I'm sure." Mr. Nakamura turned to the rest of the class, who had all started gathering their belongings. "Alright, get lost, all of you."

Jeri followed Kazu and Kenta out, but paused after realizing that Takato was lagging behind a bit. Something was bothering him, and had been at least since they defeated the second D-Reaper a few months ago. It was something Jeri planned on getting him to talk about as they walked home.

* * *

Waiting had become more difficult for Suzie Wong as she got older. When she first became a Tamer, she often ended up sidelined due to her lack of experience. The fact that Henry and the others did this to keep her safe eventually stopped being a consolation. If nothing else, it meant that she was doing nothing when she could be helping to protect her friends and family.

Fortunately, Suzie's current situation wasn't so life-and-death, so she was able to maintain some self-control. She peered inside the convenience store's window, trying to gauge how much longer she would be waiting.

"I'm sure it won't be much longer, Suzie," assured Lopmon, who was currently sitting on top of Suzie's head.

"You always say that, Lop," Suzie replied.

"And I'm right often enough, aren't I?" Lopmon said with a smile. Suzie's partner had once been servant to the digimon equivalent of a god, so she had always been the most humble and polite of the Tamers' digimon. Years of living with Terriermon, however, had led to Lopmon gaining more confidence and even picking up a little snark.

"Still, there's no reason he should be blowing all his allowance on these cards," Ai said. She stood next to Suzie as though she refused to look in the window. They were waiting on her brother, Mako, who had gone into the store in the hopes of adding to his collection of modify cards.

"I keep tellin' 'em ta save his money," Impmon declared confidently. Standing right at Ai's side, he was being surprisingly patient. "I mean, who needs all dem fancy cards when yous got me for a partner?"

"A Tamer doesn't turn down an advantage over pride," Suzie recited, echoing the words of her late mentor. She felt a knot form in her chest as she spoke and tried to suppress the feeling. She was _not_ going to have an episode.

"I'm not a Tamer. I'm a Demon Lord."

"Do you even know what that means?" Lopmon asked.

"No, but everyone keeps sayin' it and it sounds cool."

Lopmon sighed as Mako finally exited the store. As usual, he was having a little trouble opening the pack. He lifted his head from it upon realizing he had four sets of eyes staring at him.

"What took you so long?" Ai asked sternly.

"Relax, Ai," Mako replied casually. "I had to make sure I chose the right pack."

"Let's just get going," Suzie suggested, and the two siblings followed her away from the store. Over time, the older Tamers had made it a point to include Ai and Mako in the group's activities. Due to them being about her age and attending the same school, Suzie and the two became friends pretty quickly. Though their bickering sometimes annoyed Suzie, she had largely gotten used to it.

"I mean, we gotta be ready for what Impmon saw last night," Mako continued, still struggling with the pack of cards as he spoke.

"We're still not sure what he saw," Ai countered. "We should wait to see what Henry says before we run off looking for a fight."

"Well, whatever it is, we can take 'em. Right, Impmon?"

"You know it," Impmon chimed in.

"I agree with Ai," Lopmon said calmly. "If this Guilmon is as strong as ours, we can't afford to take him lightly."

"What do you think, Suzie?" Ai asked.

"I think you're both right," Suzie answered. She paused for a beat, again trying to recall what was taught to her. "We shouldn't rush into a fight blind, but we have to be ready in case the fight comes to us."

"I guess. I'm just worried-"

"Gotcha!" Mako called out. He had finally managed to open his pack of cards. Ignoring the fact that everyone was looking his way, Mako began look over the cards. "Cool, I've been looking for this one."

Suzie froze as Mako held out the card he was referring to: Myotismon. During her time as a Tamer, Suzie had faced a number of digimon, but none haunted her nightmares quite like he did. Despite trying to assure herself that it was just a trading card, Suzie found herself flashing back to when she first faced the monster a few months ago. With an eerie grin plastered on his face and maniacal laughter echoing in her ears, Suzie watched Myotismon stand over a kneeling Justimon. Without any remorse, the demon digimon struck him down. Before Suzie had been able to do anything, Ryo Akiyama, her friend and mentor, was removed from the world.

Suzie forced her mind back to the present, resulting in her falling on her backside. Her heart was pounding and she was having trouble breathing. At some point during all of this, Lopmon had jumped off her head. The brown and pink digimon was currently at Suzie's side, holding her hand in an obvious attempt to calm her. Ai ran to the opposite side as Mako and Impmon looked on, probably confused as to what was going on.

"Suzie!" Ai called out. "Suzie, what's wrong?"

Suzie didn't answer, partially because she was embarrassed. _It was just a stupid picture_ , she thought. _Pull it together._ In addition to trying to steady her breathing, Suzie was also fighting back tears. She refused to cry in front of everyone. She reflexively buried her face in her knees.

"Why don't you guys go on ahead?" Lopmon suggested.

"Are you sure?" Ai asked.

"Definitely. I can get her home."

"Okay, but you have to promise to call if there's anything we can do to help." Lopmon gave no verbal confirmation that Suzie heard, but she did hear Ai, Mako, and Impmon walk away.

"Suzie," Lopmon whispered. "They're gone."

Suzie wasted no time in grabbing hold of her partner digimon and holding her close. She had no misgivings about releasing her tears now. Lopmon would never judge her. This was despite dressing her up like a doll when they were first partnered and the training she was put through as Suzie got older. Suzie didn't think it was possible to have a more loyal friend.

"I don't know what do, Lop," Suzie cried. "It's supposed to get easier. Why isn't it getting easier?"

"I don't know," Lopmon replied. No one seemed to have an easy solution.

* * *

Takato leafed through the pages of the notebook Mr. Nakamura had returned to him. He had already known he would sketch pictures of Rika from time to time, but he also drew his other friends. The notebook's pages, however, revealed that he drew Rika at least twice as often as the others. Takato was somewhat relieved by the fact that he hadn't subconsciously drawn anything provocative, but the sheer number of sketches was still a little off-putting. Part of his mind tried to rationalize this fact, saying Rika was more complicated than the others and a more difficult subject to draw. Another part simply insisted it was because she was prettier than most of the others.

"Man, Chumley," Kazu commented. He and Kenta looked over Takato's shoulders as they walked home through Shinjuku Park. "You really are obsessed."

"At least he hasn't started drawing her in wedding dresses yet," Kenta added. "Or nothing at all."

"That we know of."

"Okay, enough!" Takato snapped. He slammed the notebook shut and swung it in their direction to get them to back away.

"Jeez, I guess she's rubbing off on him," Kazu said with a grin. "So when did this start?"

"When did what start?"

"Don't play dumb, Chumley. You know what I'm asking."

"I really don't," Takato lied. Even if he had wanted to answer Kazu, he wouldn't be able to provide a straight answer. Takato wasn't exactly sure when his feelings for Rika had come to be, or if there even was a definitive moment at all. Like everything else in his relationship with the Digimon Queen, they seemed to have developed over time. He only knew when he had started admitting he had feelings for her to himself, which occurred sometime after they had defeated Myotismon and the second D-Reaper.

Of course, accepting the fact hadn't really made things any easier. Takato would be the first to admit that he didn't have the highest self-esteem, and that his initial hesitation was due to Rika being well out of his league. The more Takato thought about it, however, the more he realized that he was holding back due to his recurring nightmares. If there was something to be had between him and Rika, he didn't want it hindered by his own demons.

"Leave Takato alone, guys," Jeri ordered, though her teasing tone told Takato that shouldn't be grateful just yet. "Why does it matter _when_ Takato fell in love with Rika?"

"Traitor," Takato breathed, sending a glare in Jeri's direction. She only giggled in response.

"I'm more interested in the 'why' than the 'when'," Kenta said. "I mean, I smiled at her one time and she threatened to dislocate my jaw."

"That's just because you two annoy her with every opportunity you get," Jeri explained. "Rika's rough around the edges, yeah, but she's also smart, funny, and thoughtful when it comes to the people she cares about."

Takato agreed with Jeri on all counts, but felt like his current position wouldn't benefit from saying so out loud. Besides, they had reached the point in their walk home when they went their separate ways. Takato thought he had snuck off when he felt someone tug on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Jeri asked as he turned to face her.

"Yeah," Takato answered with a smile. "I got used to those two a long time ago."

"Is something bothering you, Takato?"

"I've… just got some stuff on my mind."

"Anything that you want to talk about?"

"Not right now, Jeri." Takato opened his cellphone as he spoke. During lunch, he had received one of Rika's customarily vague responses to him asking about her plans. Since opening a message saying "Haven't decided yet," he hadn't heard from her. "But I appreciate the offer."

Takato waved goodbye to Jeri and headed off. He felt bad blowing her off, but he would also feel bad for wasting her time on bad dreams. Besides, if need be, there would be time to talk later.

* * *

Rika darted off the subway car and began to make her way up to street level. Her D-Power had lit up just as they pulled into the station. Given its location, she doubted that any of her friends would be able to deal with this particular bio-emergence.

Not that that bothered Rika. It had been a while since she and Renamon dealt with one on their own. Since defeating the original D-Reaper, Hypnos had been pretty good about maintaining the barrier between the worlds. With the exception of the portal underneath Guilmon's old utility shed, most portals were neutralized before they could fully develop. While a number of contingencies were put in place to drastically reduce the number of bio-emergences, some still managed to slip through the cracks.

Not long after she was above ground, Rika found herself looking at the familiar site of a digital field. Renamon appeared to her right, ready as ever for a fight.

"Do you want to stretch first?" Rika asked her partner.

"I think I'll be able to manage," Renamon replied.

Rika pulled her blue-lensed shades over her eyes. Renamon obviously didn't think the digimon inside was much of a threat, so there was no reason to worry. Of course, there was also the possibility that they wouldn't have to fight at all. Either way, the pair didn't hesitate to enter the field.

Once inside, it didn't take long to find the digimon they were looking for. At the center of the field sat a hulking green monster that Rika instantly recognized as Ogremon. If she recalled correctly, this particular digimon was known more for his brute strength than anything else. Renamon had the advantage when it came to speed and most likely intelligence as well.

"Looks like I found myself a fight," the Ogremon said excitedly.

"I'm hoping it won't come to that," Renamon countered. A couple years back, the Tamers faced a Locomon under the control of a Parasimon. After dealing with the incident, Takato became adamant that not all digimon who wondered into the Real World were evil, and should be offered a chance to return home. The others were easily convinced, so it became their policy when dealing with "wild ones." To both Rika's surprise and relief, a number of the wayward digimon accepted the offer to be returned home.

"That makes one of us." Ogremon pointed his club at Renamon as he spoke. Obviously, he was not going to be easily swayed.

"Look, we know of an easy way to get you back to the Digital World," Rika explained. "We don't _want_ to kill you."

"Don't worry, human. That won't be an issue." Ogremon leapt into the air, targeting Rika specifically. Before he could bring his club down, Renamon grabbed hold of Rika and pulled her off to the side.

"I guess peace talks have broken down," Rika said as she looked up at her partner. "You wanna digivolve?"

"No," Renamon replied with a touch of anger in her voice. She glared at her opponent as she spoke. "In fact, I'd like to deal with this one on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"He just made things personal."

"Then walk all over him."

Rika stepped back as Renamon launched herself, kicking Ogremon in the middle of his face. He rolled backwards, doing his best to make sure he landed upright. Ogremon lifted himself up and moved for a counterattack, but Rika knew he wasn't fast enough to land a hit. Still, Renamon wasn't above making a show of how outclassed her opponent was. She waited until the last second before phasing out of the way of the attack.

Ogremon roared in rage as his club hit nothing but concrete. Renamon appeared again behind him, leading to the ogre taking another swing at her. This repeated a few more times, to the point Rika almost started to get bored.

Ogremon brought his club down in vain again, this time showing signs of fatigue. Before he could lift it, Renamon phased into view, this time landing on top of her opponents weapon. She crossed her arms and sighed. "What's the matter, big guy?" she taunted. "I thought you wanted to fight, not dance."

"Shut up!" Ogremon bellowed. He swung his club upwards, propelling Renamon into air. Renamon spread her arms, a sign to Rika that the fight was over.

"DIAMOND STORM!"

The shards that made up Renamon's signature attack rained down on Ogremon, with some embedding themselves in his skin while others passed right through him. Renamon landed on the ground just in time to watch her opponent burst apart into data.

"Show off," Rika teased as the field around them faded away.

"I learned from the best," Renamon returned in kind.

Rika had planned on leaving without another word. There was no point in sticking around to explain the damages to whatever authorities responded first, as that job usually fell to Hypnos. She was stopped by energy building up in front of her. She recognized the energy as the result of the reality tears they had used to travel a few months back. What shocked her more was what she saw when the portal finished forming.

Rika removed her shades and blinked a couple times, not convinced she wasn't hallucinating. She took a single step closer, as did the mirror-image of herself on the other side. This wasn't a reflection, however, as she was dressed differently. The "other her" wore a t-shirt with a broken heart on it, just like she used to wear, as well as a worn out, grey trench coat.

Then, before either of them could speak, the portal shut and the energy dissipated. While Rika wasn't easily scared, she found herself unable to move or speak. Something about what she had seen had left her cold and, for whatever reason, she was not eager to find out why.

* * *

 _So this fic will have a larger Rukato component than my last one did. I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not that's a good thing._

 _If you feel up to it, leave a review to let me know how I'm doing._


	3. Complicated Histories

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Complicated Histories**

Henry looked at his computer monitor as another simulation ran on the screen. Once again, the lingering side effects of the Juggernaut program proved to be too complex for any cure or vaccine he could come up with. Over the years, others had suggested that the damage was done and that he should give up, but Henry couldn't do that.

When Juggernaut was deployed against the original D-Reaper years ago, its success had come at a cost. The Tamers' partner digimon had also been affected, causing them to deteriorate until they were allowed to return to the Digital World. While none of the Tamers took this forced separation well, Henry had a particularly tough time with it. His own father had known what the side effects would be, but had them deploy Juggernaut anyway.

While the rift between him and his father healed somewhat with the discovery of the portal under Guilmon's shed, other things weren't so easily repaired. Not long after reuniting with the digimon, it was discovered that they still carried the deteriorative effects of Juggernaut. They would begin to break down again after spending enough time in the Real World. Their spending a month or so in the Digital World so they could return home for month or two had become the new normal and Henry hated it.

Thus, Henry took it upon himself to rectify their current situation, even going as far as to accept an unofficial job at Hypnos to increase his available resources. He leaned back in his chair, instantly reminded of how small his cubicle was when he bumped heads with the person he shared it with.

"Do you mind?" came the dry voice of Alice McCoy. Henry turned around to meet her cold, blue eyes, which always looked like they were accusing him of something. The American-born girl had changed since their brief meeting all those years ago. Gone were the pigtails and the goth dresses, though she did still dress primarily in black.

"Sorry," Henry replied as he turned away and pulled his chair closer to his computer. Like Henry's father, Alice's grandfather was one of the Monster Makers, creators of the first digimon. While sharing this distinction was what led to them both this "internship," it didn't help their working relationship. Alice wasn't particularly fond of him and the feeling was starting to become mutual. At first, Henry had wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, her digimon partner, Dobermon, had sacrificed himself to help defeat the original D-Reaper. Henry suspected that she bore some resentment against him and the other Tamers for that fact.

"You wouldn't have to be sorry if you stopped focusing on Juggernaut and did your actual work," Alice continued.

"I'm multitasking." Henry wasn't lying. Upon getting to Hypnos, he had learned they had detected the dimensional tear Terriermon had described to him as well as a second one not more than an hour ago. Henry, Alice, and the rest of the staff were trying to piece together whatever information they could in order to find a cause and solution. Henry had just sent a cross-dimensional email to one Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi, to see if his world was experiencing any similar phenomena. He had been working on the Juggernaut cure while waiting for a response.

"Whatever." When she wasn't giving him an attitude, Alice would typically try to ignore his existence. He had once explained his frustrations to Terriermon and Suzie, and the pair proceeded to refer to Alice as his "work wife."

"How is what you're doing any more constructive than what I'm doing?" On this particular day, Henry didn't feel like taking her attitude. He didn't turn around to face her though, as he doubted she would give him the same courtesy.

"I'm actually looking for answers while you're waiting around for someone who might not have any."

"Have you actually learned anything yet?"

"Nothing I can verify." Alice said plainly. One positive thing that Henry admitted about her was that she didn't lie. She had no more a problem owning up to her own shortcomings than she did complaining about those of others. "I do have some theories."

"Such as?" Henry tried to hide the genuine curiosity in his voice.

"The tears aren't because of some evil digimon. The unrelated locations and the amount of time each of them remained open suggest they're random. I would need a third to open to be sure."

"I'm not sure knowing any of that would make me feel better."

"At least we'd know the truth." Alice paused for a beat. "Now, can you shut up? I've still got work to do."

Henry rolled his eyes, but decided to do as she asked. He refreshed his email and found that Izzy still hadn't answered him. This wasn't a surprise to Henry, as the Digidestined of Knowledge likely had a lot on his plate as well. Before going over the collated data on the tears, he checked his cellphone, which he preferred to keep on silent while he worked. A notification on the screen told Henry he had received a voicemail from Rika around the time the second tear opened.

* * *

Jeri sat patiently behind the bar of her family's restaurant. There was still some time before the dinner rush would begin, so there wasn't much for her to do at the moment. Her parents and younger brother were home, but were either upstairs or otherwise occupied. That meant she was alone with her thoughts.

Jeri reflected on the last few months, trying to figure out what could be wrong with Takato beyond his growing infatuation with their resident Digimon Queen. For the most part, he was his same old self. As per usual, he was friendly, clumsy, and there for his friends when they needed him. Looking closer at past events, however, Takato had seemed more lost in his thoughts than usual.

If this kept up, Jeri would have to reach out Rika or Henry. She hated to go around Takato's back, but if he had told anyone what was bothering him, it was them. Jeri tried to put these thoughts aside as a set of familiar faces walked into the restaurant.

"What sa mon gotta do ta get some grub around here?" Impmon asked casually as he climbed up onto a barstool. Ai and Mako followed close behind their shared partner, with the former rolling her eyes at his behavior. Jeri didn't mind it, however, as she had gotten used to it and could tell when Impmon was joking.

"Well, you have to pay, for starters," Jeri replied with a smile. She leaned forward, resting her chin in the palm of her hand and looked Impmon in the eye.

"Would ya believe me if I said I left my wallet in my other pants?"

"You don't own any pants," Ai said. "And the ones you get when you digivolve don't count," she added before Impmon could respond.

"Hey, guys," Jeri said, turning her attention to Ai and Mako. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know," Mako began. "I showed Suzie one of my new cards on the way here, and-"

"Mako!" Ai interrupted. "That's not your business to tell about."

"Sorry, but Suzie said talking to Jeri helped last time. I thought she could maybe do the same thing again."

"I'd be happy to, _if_ that's what Suzie wants," Jeri explained softly. While she more than willing to talk to Suzie, she did worry that there was only so much she could do. Someone important to Suzie was taken away from her, and talking could only help so much. Jeri knew better than anyone that Suzie needed closure of some kind more than anything else.

"Let's talk about somethin' else," Impmon said. "Like, where's Creampuff?"

"Off on one of his little adventures." Contrary to popular belief, the Katou household was not Calumon's permanent place of residence, but only his most frequent. Where the little Celestial spent his days and nights depended on what kind of mood he was in. Sometimes he stayed at Rika or Takato's respective homes, and there were days at a time when none of the Tamers could account for his whereabouts. This bothered Jeri less as time went on, as Calumon always turned up eventually.

"Yeah, well, if ya need anythin', you let me know first."

"You bet," Jeri replied. She and Impmon had a complicated history. Having been taken advantage of by one of the Sovereign, there was a brief time when Impmon had accepted the task of eliminating the Tamers in exchange for being granted the ability to digivolve. As Beelzemon, one of his victims had been Jeri's partner, Leomon, which had left Jeri distraught. Beelzemon was only stopped when Takato and Guilmon became Gallantmon for the first time.

Despite hating him for what he had done, Jeri begged Takato not to execute the Demon Lord. While the others initially questioned the decision, it payed off when Beelzemon joined the fight against the D-Reaper. The program had abducted Jeri, and he made it his mission to rescue her. While Impmon had not been initially successful, Jeri did credit him as one of the reasons she was able to start fighting back against her captor. Once the fighting was over, she told Impmon that she forgave him for killing Leomon. Eventually, she was able to say it and mean it.

"With everything that's happening, we have to stick together," Ai added.

" _What's_ happening?" Jeri asked.

"You haven't heard?"

"One of dem portals from a few months ago opened," Impmon explained. "Not sure as ta why, but we saw Pineapple Head and his partner execute some little digimon."

"Takato and Guilmon?" Jeri said instinctively. The notion was so foreign that it almost didn't register in her mind. The pair of them were too warm and gentle to ever consciously do something like that.

"Not our Takato and Guilmon, obviously," Ai explained quickly. She paused and rubbed her forearm. "We're not exactly sure what's going on."

"I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle." While she was confident in her statement, Jeri did wonder if this had anything to with the way Takato was acting. Due to Guilmon being a Virus type, he and Takato both had a tendency to become feral during combat. On a couple of occasions, they had completely lost control. Takato felt particularly guilty in these instances. Even if he was unaware of his counterpart's existence, Jeri worried about how Takato would react if Impmon's story was true.

* * *

Rika sat in her bedroom as patiently as she could. The image of her doppelganger was still stuck in her head. Neither she nor Renamon had been able to make sense of what they had seen. Rika had called Takato first, who was on his way. She had also called Henry immediately after, but hadn't been able to reach him.

A tap on her door interrupted her thoughts. The door slid open, revealing Rika's mother, Rumiko. "Takato's here to see you," she said.

"Tell him to come in here," Rika replied. "We've got a lot to talk about."

At first, Rumiko's only response was a wry smile and a raised eyebrow. "Are you expecting anyone else?"

"No… why?"

"No reason." Rumiko turned around and left. Rika hoped that was the end of it, but she knew she wasn't that lucky. Within a couple minutes, she could hear her mother and Takato coming towards her.

Rika cursed under her breath. Takato knew his way around the house, so the only reason for her mother leading him in was interrogation disguised as small talk. Takato, being Takato, was too polite to not answer the questions being asked to him.

"Yeah, it's pretty crazy when you think about it," Takato said nervously as he and Rumiko came into view. He was still wearing the dark blue blazer and khakis that made up his school uniform. That, plus Guilmon's absence, meant he hadn't made it home yet when he received Rika's call and came straight here. Rika tried not to smile, as she always thought the sight of him in his uniform and without his goggles was amusing. He _almost_ looked like he could be a functioning adult one day. His shaggy brown hair was still a mess, but Rika conceded that Takato wouldn't look right if it wasn't.

"Alright, what's she got you talking now?" Rika asked, not hiding her irritation whatsoever.

"Nothing, we were just-"

" _I_ was telling Takato about how the two of you have grown over the years," Rumiko said suggestively. "How much has changed in that time can drive a mother crazy."

"That's real interesting, Mom," Rika replied, trying to retain her composure. She was not in the mood to have this conversation. "But if you don't mind…"

"Right, I'll get out of your hair." Rumiko turned to leave but paused in the doorway. Another smile on her face, she turned to face the two Tamers before Rika had a chance to react. "Would you do me a favor and leave this door open? I wouldn't want you two getting any ideas because you're alone."

"Mom!" Having hit her mark, Rumiko slipped away, leaving two red-faced teenagers in her wake. Takato sat down next to Rika at the table in the middle of her room, avoiding eye contact as he did. "Don't… listen to her."

"Don't worry about it," Takato said nervously, looking back and forth between her and the table as he spoke. "So, where's Renamon?"

"In earshot. I'm sure she'll pop in if she has anything to add."

"You hear from Henry?"

"Not yet."

"Are you okay?" Takato gave Rika his full attention now. "You seemed a little shook up on the phone."

"I'm not sure." Rika paused, not really sure how to describe what she saw. "I saw me, but _not_ me. Something was different and I'm still not sure exactly what."

"Knowing our luck, we'll find out soon enough."

"What about you?" Takato raised eyebrow as though he wasn't sure what she was asking. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am." Takato smiled as he spoke, but also looked away.

"You're lying." The tired look in his eyes told Rika exactly what was bothering him. "It's the nightmares again, isn't it?"

"They've never really stopped." Takato clasped his hands together and leaned his forehead against them. "I keep telling myself they're not real, but I don't really know that. Last time I had a dream this vivid, it led me to you."

Rika's faced to turn red again at the mention of the notorious dream that preceded their first meeting. Luckily, Takato was too lost in his thoughts to notice. "Well, _these_ dreams are ones you shouldn't listen to. You're not some monster that we should be afraid of."

"I can think of a couple of occasions that say otherwise."

"We know now that that's not your fault. If we can manifest our partners' traits, it's only natural that those aspects of Guilmon would show up in you." The discovery of this ability had been relatively recent and results had been limited. None of the Tamers had been able to use their partner's abilities in a fight, though Rika had been able to maintain Renamon's heightened senses.

"Yeah, but I made Guilmon the way he is. What does that say about me?"

"It says exactly what I've _known_ about you all along." Rika instinctively placed a hand on Takato's forearm, causing him to turn and face her again. "You're a stupid Goggle-head who acts with his heart instead of his brain."

A smile made its way onto Takato's face. Were Rika speaking with anyone else, she probably would have resisted smiling back. She felt surprisingly calm as she looked into his eyes, as well as a bit nervous. Yet, despite her reservations, she couldn't pull herself away. Then Rika's cellphone went off and pulled them back to reality. Rika pulled her hand away from Takato and reached for the device, finding a text from Henry.

"Henry says Hypnos knows about the tear," Rika summarized as she read through the message. "He thinks we should get everyone together after school tomorrow."

"I'll start spreading the word," Takato replied as he stood up to leave. Rika considered stopping him and telling him he didn't have to leave yet, but decided against it. Considering the weird moment they had just had, it was probably best they went their separate ways for now.

Rika walked Takato to the front door and waved him off. She then made her way to the kitchen where her grandmother, Seiko, was starting dinner.

"I remember the first time you brought Takato here," Seiko reminisced without any provocation. "Back then, you couldn't wait to get rid of him."

"Don't you start too," Rika said.

"I'm not starting anything. I'm just reflecting."

"Well, there's nothing to reflect on." Rika had no problem admitting she and Takato were friends. With the exception of Renamon, he was probably her best friend. Rika couldn't understand why some people thought that meant she was falling for him.

"To you, maybe," Seiko said, now turning to face her granddaughter. "But you have to consider his feelings to. That boy would follow you anywhere. Even if you don't feel the same way, it's something the two of you will have to confront eventually."

"Whatever," Rika replied, trying her best to sound dismissive. Takato could be a nervous wreck at times, but he also wore his heart on his sleeve. If that was really how he felt, there was no reason that Rika could think of that would make him keep quiet about it.

* * *

Terriermon and Lopmon sat atop of Suzie's bed as the girl slept. The only light in the room came through the open door leading to the hallway. Suzie had essentially passed out upon returning home and hadn't awoken since. Due to a mixture of concern and having nothing better to do, Terriermon decided to keep Lopmon company as she watched over her Tamer.

This wasn't the first time Suzie had had one these panic attacks, but Terriermon and the rest of the Wong residence had hoped these would have been behind her by now. Her parents had tried to convince her to talk to a therapist, but Suzie refused, citing that a therapist "wouldn't understand." It had been Takato who suggested Suzie talk to Jeri instead, who had been through a not so dissimilar ordeal. While still reluctant, Suzie did come around to the idea. Up until today, it seemed like they had made some progress.

Lopmon sighed, causing Terriermon to turn to face her. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now. _He_ hated seeing Suzie like this, as it was such a far cry from the happy child who used to torture him when she thought he was only a stuffed animal. The strength of the bond between Suzie and Lopmon had increased faster than anyone could have predicted. Lopmon likely felt just as down as Suzie herself.

"Hey," Terriermon said softly. He paused for a beat, trying to come up with something reassuring to say. "I'm sure this is gonna pass."

"Until it starts up again," Lopmon replied sadly. She didn't take her eyes off Suzie. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

"Moumantai, Lop. You're doing everything you can. I'm sure Suzie's just glad to have you here."

"Yeah, but that makes me even more worried about when I'm _not_ here."

Terriermon gave no immediate response, as it was how all the digimon felt when the time came for them to return to the Digital World. At this point, that seemed well out of their hands.

"Sometimes I wish things could go back to the way they were when we first met," Lopmon said suddenly.

"No thanks," Terriermon replied, trying to smile. "That would mean going back to my sessions with 'Nurse Suzie.' She always found new places to stick that thermometer."

Lopmon finally allowed a smile to spread across her face. "I'd sit through a hundred of those sessions if it would fix things."

"You really _are_ her best friend."

Both digimon turned around at the sound of someone behind them, finding Henry standing in the doorway. "What happened?" he asked.

"Bad day," Lopmon replied.

Henry shook his head, obviously not needing any elaboration. "Hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow." He turned away and headed across the hall to his own bedroom.

"Does that mean you've got news?" Terriermon asked. He followed his partner across the hall.

"Hypnos detected another tear," Henry explained. "It was only open for a few seconds, but it means what you saw wasn't an isolated incident. I've got some more information, but I'd rather wait until tomorrow when we're all together."

"So, we're getting the team together?"

"I don't think it would hurt to have boots on the ground while Hypnos works the problem."

"Those boots on the ground include ours, right?" Terriermon eyed his partner, who didn't reply right away. In the end, that was all the confirmation Terriermon needed. "Unbelievable…"

"Hypnos is where I can be most helpful right now."

"Like you really need to spend any more time in front of a computer." Terriermon turned and walked away. He decided that he was tired as well.

"Terriermon," Henry said as he quickly stepped in Terriermon's way. "You understand why I have to do this, right?"

"I'm sure you'll explain it to me either way." Terriermon refused to look Henry in the eye.

"I'm close to a cure. Any day now, I think I'll have Juggernaut figured out. Isn't that what everyone wants?"

" _I_ just want my best friend back!" Terriermon hadn't meant to shout, but he couldn't keep it in. He'd never been mad at Henry before, or at least not in this way. This kind of frustration was new to him.

"I want the same thing," Henry replied, somehow managing to stay calm.

"I'm right here, Henry." Terriermon turned to face the boy now, hoping it would help to get his message across.

"Not all the time, but I can fix that." Henry paused, likely trying to come up with another way to support his cause. "I just need more time."

"Take all the time you want." Terriermon turned away again, this time feeling as though he had been defeated. If Henry said anything else, it didn't register. Since Henry didn't care what he had to say, the feeling would be mutual.

* * *

 _The scene at Rika's house has been in my head for a while, probably longer than the actual plot of the fic. For better or worse, everything from Rumiko teasing Rika and Takato to Rika's conversation with Seiko basically played out as it was originally conceived._

 _Also, due to the limited screen-time Alice received in the show proper, I will be taking some liberties with her characterization._


	4. Afternoon Stroll

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Afternoon Stroll**

The arrival of Friday afternoon would have been a relief to Takato if he was a normal teenager. As a Tamer, however, it was just another day on the job. With the potential collapse of reality once again on the horizon, he was well aware that there wasn't time for anything else.

None of his friends had wasted any time in heading home once school had let out. Takato was currently in his bedroom, having already exchanged his school uniform for a pair of jeans and a navy blue, zip-up hoodie. He made his way over to his desk, where a pair of yellow-rimmed goggles waited for him.

Takato smiled as he picked up the goggles. Despite their age as well as his own, he still could not bring himself to part with them. He had too many memories associated with them. While not every memory was a good one, they all led to the person he was today. He strapped the goggles to his forehead, wondering how he would look back on coming events.

Also on the desk were his modify cards, which Takato promptly attached to his belt. His trading card collection, on the other hand, had been easier to part with. Besides the cards on his waist, which he kept because of their utility in a fight, and a handful of others he kept for sentimental reasons, most of his collection was gone. This was the case with most of the others as well, as it was a phase they had grown out of. Even Rika's collection wasn't quite what it used to be. A lot of it had been divided between Suzie and Ai and Mako.

Takato checked the time, not wanting to be late for the meeting. He quickly went over a mental checklist, acknowledging his own tendency to be forgetful. He then left his bedroom in search of the one thing he still needed.

"Guilmon!" Takato called out as he made his way downstairs. Takato looked into his family's kitchen, finding his partner near an open cabinet.

"Are we leaving now?" Guilmon asked as he turned to face Takato. In his claw was an open jar of peanut butter, which he had obviously been chipping away at.

"Don't you eat enough of that stuff?" Takato asked, pointing at the jar. Guilmon looked back and forth between Takato and the peanut butter as though he didn't understand the question. "Okay, forget the question. Yeah, it's time to go."

Guilmon didn't need to be told twice. He returned his jar to its place in the cabinet before following Takato out of the kitchen. Before leaving the Matsuki residence entirely, however, Takato walked through the bakery to say goodbye to his parents. His mother, Mie, was working behind the register. While there was a moderate amount of customers present, he knew it was nothing his mother couldn't handle. Takato didn't see his father anywhere and assumed he was out on a delivery.

"We're heading out, Mom," Takato said as he approached the counter.

"Make sure you call if you're going to be out late," Mie replied. "You know we worry."

"How could I forget?" Takato didn't mean to be snide, but everyone who knew his mother knew she could be a bit overprotective. Luckily, Guilmon stepped forward before the conversation went any further.

"Bye, Mom," Guilmon said with an innocent grin. "I promise we'll be back in time for dinner."

"Alright," Mie replied. She smiled as she scratched Guilmon behind his ear. "You have fun, sweetie." Even Takato sometimes had trouble believing the complete one-eighty her attitude towards Guilmon had taken since they first met. Takato suspected that his mother liked the idea of having a second child who, in all likelihood, would never grow up. Takato had benefitted somewhat from Mie seeing Guilmon in this way, as it made her less strict when it came to him.

Takato and Guilmon waved goodbye one more time as they left the bakery. Of course, with that scene now over, Takato went back to worrying about what they might end up facing. Something in gut told him that, whatever it ended up being, wasn't going to be easy to defeat. Takato looked towards Guilmon, whose tail waved back and forth as they walked. Takato smiled and tried to convince himself that if Guilmon wasn't worried, he shouldn't be either.

* * *

Over the years, it felt like Guilmon's shed was gradually shrinking. Jeri obviously knew this wasn't actually the case, but it was something that stuck in her mind as she and her friends got older. She looked around to each of the shed's other occupants, very few of whom were acting like their normal selves.

Takato and Guilmon, normally the last arrive at these meetings, had made it to the shed before Jeri had. While the saurian digimon seemed to be his usual, cheery self, Takato still seemed kind of weary. Whatever had been bothering him yesterday had not passed. At the moment, he was conversing with Rika and Henry, just as the three of them always did before addressing the rest of them. Jeri, however, knew him well enough to know when he was just putting up a front.

Jeri's gaze moved to Rika, whose arms were crossed and right foot was steadily tapping. She was nervous about something, but the fact that she seemed more angry than scared meant she was unlikely to open up about it. Terriermon seemed to be sitting as far away from Henry as he could get. Jeri couldn't imagine what the two of them could be fighting about, but conceded that had to have been serious for Terriermon to taking it so personally. To Terriermon's left sat Suzie and Lopmon, who weren't speaking at all. Jeri had a better idea of what was bothering Suzie, but also didn't want to force her to speak about it where everyone and anyone could listen in.

Kazu and Kenta, on the other hand, seemed as normal as ever. Jeri wasn't paying close enough attention to know what they were talking, but could tell from their suggestive tone that it was better she didn't. They paused their chatter as Ai, Mako, and Impmon came running up the stairs that led to the utility shed.

"Sorry we're late," Ai said, trying to catch her breath. "It was Mako's fault."

"Was not," Mako whined.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_. I guess it was someone else's shortcut that led us in the opposite direction of where we were going."

"I'm sure it was an accident," Takato assured them. "What matters is that we're all here and we can get started." He looked to Henry, who stepped forward.

"Okay, let's start with the facts," Henry began. "A couple of nights back, a reality tear like the ones we used a few months ago opened. Terriermon and Impmon were there, and saw what looked like alternate versions of Takato and Guilmon."

"So this world is closer to ours than the last one we visited," Kenta observed.

"Dat's one way of puttin' it," Impmon added. Jeri looked to Takato, who was trying not to react to what being said. Henry had likely explained the details of what the two digimon saw already, and Takato was still trying to process them.

"Yesterday afternoon, Rika and Renamon saw a second one," Henry continued. "Based on what they saw and the readings Hypnos was able to gather, we know two things: One, these weren't isolated incidents, and two, these portals seem to be showing us the same alternate universe."

"What did you see?" Jeri asked Rika.

"It doesn't matter," Rika deflected. "What matters is finding out who's responsible for opening these tears in the first place."

"That's the thing," Henry said. " _We_ might be the ones responsible."

"Okay, I'm getting a little confused," Mako said.

"The random nature of the tears was throwing us for loop, so I decided to reach out for a second opinion."

"So, what _did_ Izzy have to say?" Takato asked.

"Nothing like this is happening in their reality, but Izzy did say that all the portals that opened there only opened in their Digital World. At least three portals that we know of opened right here in Shinjuku, and the Real World isn't as malleable as the Digital World is. It's more than likely that this recent activity is side effect of us poking holes in the universe."

"So, why is this only happening now?" Kazu asked.

"A crack in a windshield gets bigger over time if you don't fix it," Rika explained. She turned to Henry. "I'm guessing Hypnos is trying to come up with a fix." Henry only nodded in response. Jeri guessed that they didn't have a solution yet.

"Perhaps we should ask the Sovereign for help," Renamon suggested. "After all, it is within their power to open these portals. They might be able to close them as well."

"I'm sure that'll go over great," Terriermon replied. He held his hand up to his ear as a mock telephone. "Hey Zhuster, we know you hate this world and everyone who lives in it, but would you mind popping over and saving us? 'Kay, thanks."

"I'm wit Helicopta Head," Impmon added. "I say we work dis on our own."

"We shouldn't rule out asking for help, especially considering how little we know about what's going on," Takato announced. "Either way, we should focus on what we _can_ do while Hypnos gathers more info. We should break off into teams and patrol for tears. That way, we can make sure nothing wanders into our world."

"We should start where the first two tears opened," Henry suggested. "The first opened by the Matsuki's bakery, and the second by a subway station near Rika's house."

"We should probably have a third patrol here in the park," Rika suggested. "It's where we opened the initial portals, after all."

A lightbulb went off in Jeri's head. "Why don't you and Takato take that patrol?" she asked innocently.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Jeri?" Takato asked nervously.

"What's the matter, Chumley?" Kazu teased. "You seem nervous all of a sudden."

"He probably just doesn't like idea of sticking our two best fighters together," Rika replied, trying and failing to hide her irritation.

"Wait a sec," Impmon interrupted. "Since when are you two our best?" His question went ignored.

"Yeah, but the two of you work better with each other than you do any of the others," Jeri explained. While Jeri believed this to be true, it wasn't the only reason she wanted them together. Much as she hated to admit, neither Takato nor Rika were going to talk to her about what was bothering them. Despite the show they were putting on at the moment, they had become much more comfortable talking to each other over the years. There was also the possibility that the pair would talk how they felt towards each other, but Jeri knew better than to ask for miracles.

"I guess there's no harm," Takato said as he and Rika exchanged nervous glances.

"Great! Meanwhile, I'll take the kids to the bakery while Kazu and Kenta head towards the subway station." Jeri felt relieved as the groups started to disperse. If they were lucky, everything else would go just as smoothly.

* * *

Patrols like this were a longtime part of the Tamers' routine. Rika would sometimes question the need for them, as there were many occasions when she felt like they were wandering around aimlessly. Today, however, she decided not to dwell on that notion. The sun was out and the temperature was fair, so there was no point complaining when things could be worse.

Rika looked to Takato, who walked quietly to her right. She found her eyes drawn upwards towards the goggles on his forehead, the lenses of which were reflecting the incoming sunlight. She almost felt the need to poke fun at the fact that he still wore them. Takato would claim it was because of sentimentality, but Rika knew the more likely reason was that he liked feeling like the hero of a TV show. In the end, Rika stayed quiet, as her own fashion sense hadn't really changed over the years. Her wardrobe was still primarily made up of worn out jeans and t-shirts with hearts on the front.

Of course, Takato seemed determined to break the silence himself. He kept glancing in her direction, and then nervously turning away when she noticed. Normally, Rika would have been comfortable with the silence between them. Not that she disliked talking to Takato, but he understood more than her other friends that she didn't need to be part of a constant discussion.

"What?" Rika finally asked, trying to make it clear that she wasn't in the mood for games.

"W-What do you mean?" Takato replied nervously.

"You're acting weird."

"It's nothing," Takato lied. "Really, I'm fine."

"You don't smell fine," Guilmon chimed in. He and Renamon were trailing just a couple paces behind them. Rika glanced back at her own partner, who seemed more amused than anything else.

Rika sighed. "How did we get here?" she asked.

"We walked."

"Not what I meant, Dino-boy." Rika paused, racking her brain for someone to blame. There was something lingering between her and Takato, that much had been made clear by their conversation yesterday. "Why did Jeri make us come out here?"

"You know her," Takato answered. "She thinks she can solve everyone's problems."

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Rika asked instinctively.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Takato replied wearily.

"Why not?" Rika didn't get an immediate response.

"You see the irony here, don't you?" Takato actually smiled as he spoke. Rika looked away for a moment, not needing elaboration. After Parasimon subjected her to a vision of her estranged father, Takato had tried harder than anyone else to help her through it. Not wanting to dwell on the incident, Rika refused his every offer.

"That's different," Rika stated.

"How?"

"It just is."

"If you say so." Takato paused just long enough for Rika to believe his questions were done. "It's just that, from where I'm standing, the only difference is you and me."

"What do you want from me, Takato?" Rika looked in his direction, hoping she could get him to stand down. To Takato's credit, he stood his ground, albeit a bit timidly. Normally, he would stop pressing when it was clear that Rika was annoyed.

"I just want an answer. Why is it okay for you to push me away but not the other way around?"

"Because there's nothing to talk about." All four of them stopped in their tracks as Rika spoke. "My dad left. He wasn't thinking of me when he did, so I'll be damned if I'm going to waste a second thought on him!" Rika paused to catch her breath. Bringing up these old memories made her feel like the scared four-year-old who couldn't comprehend why her father left. She felt weak and defenseless, something she promised she would never be. She glared at Takato. "Are you happy?"

"No, but that's not the point." Takato looked away for a brief second before looking her in the eyes. "I appreciate you wanting to help more than you can ever know, but caring about someone is a two-way street." Takato paused to scratch the back of his head. Knowing him, he trying to pick his words as carefully as possible and was having a bit of trouble. "I guess my point is that it's hard to open up to someone who won't do the same to you."

"That's never been who I am, Takato," Rika said calmly. "Honestly, I don't know if I would even want to change if I could."

"I don't want you to change." Takato raised his left hand as though he were going place it on her cheek. Rika eyed the hand nervously, which Takato managed to notice in time. His hand ended up on her shoulder instead. "I like the Rika right in front of me just fine. I just want you to know that you can trust me."

"I _do_ trust you. Just don't expect a song-and-dance number about it."

"Too bad. You've got one of the best singing voices I've ever heard."

 _Stupid Goggle-head_ , Rika thought as she felt her face turn red. Takato _had_ to find a way to make this conversation more awkward just when she was starting to feel at ease. She considered methods of retaliation. One particular method stood out, as it had become more and more effective as they got older. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Takato's tone indicated he didn't suspect anything.

"Nightmares aside, have you had any other dreams about me lately?"

"W-Well, uh, I mean, uh, that is…" Takato's hand retracted from Rika's shoulder as he stuttered. His face turned red and he was now refusing to look her in the eye.

"Now he smells broken," Guilmon said as he approached. Rika had almost forgotten he and Renamon had been standing by for the entire conversation.

"I'm sure he'll be fine once he's had chance to reboot," the kitsune assured the saurian.

"Let's get back to it," Rika called out, leading the others now with a smile on her face.

* * *

The last thing Terriermon wanted to do was spend the day cooped up in a Hypnos cubicle. When the Tamers dispersed from the shed, he didn't even give Henry a chance to invite him along. Not wanting to return home either, Terriermon opted to join Jeri's group on patrol.

They had started in front of the Matsuki's bakery and had made their way a couple blocks out from it. While the street they were currently on hosted a decent number of people going about their daily routines, their patrol was undeterred. Terriermon, Lopmon, and Impmon were small digimon, so they didn't attract a lot of attention.

Terriermon was currently latched onto Jeri's left shoulder. Though Jeri had made it clear she didn't mind, she would occasionally look in Terriermon's direction. Knowing her, she had detected the tension between him and Henry and wanted to help.

"Nah-uh," Terriermon annunciated.

"Is something wrong?" Jeri asked innocently.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"About what?"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there, Jeri." Terriermon poked her cheek as he spoke. "I know you mean well, but there is a fine line between wanting to help and just being nosey."

"Uh-huh," Jeri replied. The slight grin on her face indicated that he hadn't managed to offend her.

"So, there you have it. You're not getting any feelings out of me today."

"Okay, I won't-"

"Besides, I tried telling Henry what was bothering me and he wouldn't listen. Yeah, I know that things aren't perfect right now, but that's the way life is. Someone should tell him that there are some things that can't be put back together after they break."

This time, Jeri only nodded and turned forward. Directly in front of them was Suzie, who walked slowly and steadily with Lopmon atop her head. Jeri's smile seemed to fall away as she watched the two of them.

"How's she been?" Jeri asked. "I heard what happened yesterday?"

"Quiet," Terriermon replied. "She puts on a brave face because she thinks that's what _he_ would want. I don't know. This isn't really my area of expertise."

"I know what you mean. I'll keep trying to help as best I can, but I worried there isn't much left I can do."

Terriermon didn't have an immediate response for her. Before he could come up with one, he felt the fur on his back stand up. While he didn't know exactly where yet, he could feel energy building up somewhere. In front of him, Lopmon's ears perked up and Impmon stopped dead in his tracks. They sensed it too.

"That way," Lopmon declared as she pointed forward.

The group sprinted forward, rounding a corner and arriving where the disturbance seemed to be emanating from. There was definitely a tear forming on this street, but there was something different about this one. Before Terriermon could figure out exactly what, it literally blew up in his face. The tear erupted open, creating a shockwave that sent the four humans and three digimon flying backwards.

* * *

 _Bit of an exposition dump this chapter. I'm coming up with a lot of the stuff and even I have trouble keeping it all straight in my head. If there are any questions, feel free to ask. I know how important it is that it all makes sense._


	5. A Dark Knight

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Dark Knight**

Henry threw his jacket over his chair as he entered his cubicle. Most of the personnel at Hypnos were still going about their usual duties, which included monitoring the Digital World for bio-emergences and the like. Still, the potential threat the reality tears represented was not lost on the higher-ups. It had fallen to auxiliary staff, which included Henry in this case, to monitor the situation and come up with a potential solution.

"You're late," Alice pointed out before he had a chance to log into his computer. Henry took a deep breath. He wasn't looking to start an argument with her today.

"Sorry," Henry replied. He didn't look in her direction.

"Yeah, I bet…" Alice trailed off, with the sound of typing indicating she had resumed work on whatever was on her monitor.

"Look, I had other things I needed to take care of," Henry said without thinking. Anyone who Henry had to report to knew he was one of the Tamers and that he would occasionally be late or absent because of that. "I'm sorry if that inconveniences you."

"Where did that come from?" He heard the sound of a chair rotating, meaning that Alice had turned around to ask him the question.

"Just forget about it."

"Which of your friends were you arguing with?"

"What makes you ask that?" Alice's question had surprised him, though he admitted his behavior made it obvious in retrospect.

"Something obviously didn't go your way since we last spoke. It wasn't anything I did, otherwise you would have brought it up rather repeatedly try to end this conversation. You don't anger or upset easy, so it was obviously something personal."

"Does it really matter?" Henry finally turned to face Alice, whose eyes were once again looking at him accusingly. "It's not like you _actually_ care."

"When you come here acting like this, it affects me." Alice continued to stare as she spoke. If Henry had offended her, her face didn't show it. "My job description doesn't include picking up your slack."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you don't have-" Henry was interrupted by a notification going off on both of computers. Instantly recognizing the red and purple symbol as well as the distinct alarm that came with it, Henry and Alice both dropped what they were doing and headed for the nearest elevator.

The notification was usually used to indicate an emergency situation. In the past, these situations were usually Mega-level bio-emergences, but the timing seemed too coincidental to Henry. While it was possible that this particular alert had nothing to do with the reality tears, neither he nor Alice were willing to take that chance.

After riding the elevator in silence, the two of them proceeded to bolt down the hall until they reached the Hypnos control center. From what Henry had been told, this hub was a bit different from the one Hypnos used to use. It seemed more like the mission control stations used by NASA and the like, or at least how they had been depicted in movies Henry had seen. Three of the room's four walls were covered by monitors collectively showing a map of Shinjuku. In the middle of the room were twenty or so techs going about their assigned duties.

Occupying two stations overlooking the others were Riley Otori and Tally Onodera. Based on the very brief conversations Henry had had with them on the matter, neither disapproved of this set up. According to them, they ran the old Hypnos hub on their own. Standing between them with trademark lighter in hand was the man in charge of the entire Hypnos staff: Mitsuo Yamaki.

"Don't you two have work to do?" Yamaki asked calmly as he turned to face Henry and Alice.

"Tell us this all has nothing to do with our 'work' and we'll get out of your hair," Alice replied.

Yamaki gave no reply as he turned away from them. "What's the situation?"

"Standard protocols are ineffective," Riley called out. "It's not a digital gate."

"So it's a tear?" Henry asked anxiously.

"The readings match. Only…" Tally trailed off as she reread the screen in front of her. "…it's a whole lot bigger."

Henry stiffened a bit at hearing the response. Based on the map, Suzie's group would be the first responders. He mentally crossed fingers, hoping nothing dangerous found its way through the tear.

* * *

It took a couple minutes for Suzie to regain her bearings after the explosion. Aside from a couple scrapes and bruises, she was unharmed physically, as were her friends. The surrounding area, however, seemed a bit worse off. The road underneath the tear had been damaged and was now covered with cracks and small fissures. Windows of the buildings closest to the tear had been shattered, and a single car had actually been overturned while others were displaced by the shock-wave.

Despite the damage, most eyes were on the tear itself. Civilians started to gather around the hole in the universe, and it looked like the people on the other side of it were doing the same. Suzie took a couple steps closer to the opening. The world on the other side seemed identical to their own, but there were some differences on closer inspection. Reconstruction of the Metropolitan Government Building, which had been pulled into the Juggernaut vortex along the D-Reaper's core consciousness, didn't seem to be as far along in this alternate Shinjuku. Whereas theirs was almost complete, its alternate-reality counterpart was mid-construction. Suzie vaguely recalled her father mentioning possible delays in the rebuilding of Hypnos' former headquarters to her mother a couple years ago, but the specifics went over her head at the time.

A tug on Suzie's left leg brought her attention back to her immediate surroundings. Suzie turned and saw Lopmon staring up at her with a nervous smile. Beyond Lopmon were Terriermon, Ai, and Mako, who all seemed to be dividing their attention between the tear and the damage it had caused. Jeri, on the other hand, was focused solely on the tear. She walked straight towards it with Impmon close behind.

"Jeri, maybe you should take a step back," Impmon pleaded. "We don't know how dangerous dat thing is."

"What happened?" Jeri asked so softly that Suzie almost didn't hear her.

"What do ya mean?"

"These alternate worlds are just like ours but a little different, right? I want to know what happened to that world to make it different from ours."

"Maybe you could wonder 'bout dat over-" Impmon stopped mid-sentence to turn his attention towards the tear. No more than a second later, Lopmon and Terriermon had done same. Suzie reached for her modify cards, knowing that they sensed a powerful digimon coming their way.

Before anything else could happen, Impmon grabbed hold of Jeri's arm and pulled her to the ground. A shadow flew through the tear and right over their heads. Suzie turned to watch the figure come to a stop directly behind her. The civilians that had been looking chose that moment to flee, but the Tamers and digimon remained perfectly still.

Standing before them, lance and shield in hand, was Gallantmon. Of course, the knight standing before them was quite different from the friend they had come to know. The white and red armor they had grown accustomed to was replaced by black and blue armor. The pupils at the centers of his yellow eyes were dilated, and seemed to be focused in Jeri and Impmon's direction.

Suzie looked away as Gallantmon moved forward towards his targets. She knew better than to turn away from an opponent, but she had to concentrate for what came next. She emptied her mind of all but a single thought and waited for one of her cards to start glowing with a bright, blue light. Once that occurred, she didn't waste a second thought swiping it through her D-Power.

Lopmon immediately vanished in a flash of light, replaced by a much larger digimon, Antylamon. By the time the digivolution was complete, Gallantmon was already standing over Jeri and Impmon. Antylamon leapt forward, grabbing hold of the knight's right arm in an attempt to hinder the use of his lance.

"I have to insist that you not do that," Antylamon said politely, which was the closest thing to banter Suzie could expect from her partner.

Suzie looked to her left towards Ai and Mako, exchanging nods with the two siblings. "You're next, Impmon!" Ai called out as she and Mako both took hold of their shared D-Power. The device lit up and, with a matching light, Impmon became Beelzemon. The newly digivolved Mega drew one of his shotguns and pointed it at Gallantmon's head.

"Don't think I won't, Pineapple-head," Beelzemon growled. He motioned towards Jeri, who immediately got the message and moved back towards Suzie and the others. Gallantmon remained perfectly still as Jeri got clear, only moving his eyes as she did to track her movements.

"What's the matter?" Suzie asked as the older girl got closer.

Jeri was looking back towards Gallantmon, worry all over her face. "I'll… let you know when I figure it out," she replied.

"Now, who says we can't all be civil?" Beelzemon taunted. "The way dis is gonna go now is-" The thought was interrupted when Gallantmon made his move. Despite the size difference between him and Antylamon, he effortlessly moved his arm and flipped her over. Beelzemon had to role to avoid having Antylamon land right on top of him.

Beelzemon reached for his weapon, which he had lost hold of when he dodged, only for it to be kicked away. Gallantmon stood over him, lance raised in obvious attempt to skewer his opponent. Beelzemon didn't even seem to consider his next move.

"DARKNESS CLAW!"

The Demon Lord dug his right hand into his opponent's left leg, causing the knight to lose his balance some. Beelzemon lifted himself upward and followed up his attack by delivering a kick to Gallantmon's faceplate.

Gallantmon stumbled backwards but remained on his feet. He regained his composure in time to dodge Beelzemon's next strike. He moved aside and bludgeoned Beelzemon with his shield in a single movement.

For better or worse, however, the strike knocked Beelzemon clear of the immediate vicinity. Suzie looked towards Antylamon, her partner acknowledging that it was time to rejoin the fight. Antylamon's hands changed shape, becoming her signature "Bunny Blades." She dug one of these axes into the ground, lifting up a loose piece of road and hurling it at Gallantmon.

The chunk collided with Gallantmon's shield, breaking into pieces. Antylamon moved to attack, bringing both her blades down hard. Gallantmon, rather than move, brought his shield up higher and deflected the attack. He then jumped up, connecting his knee with Antylamon's face and knocking her to the ground. He was stopped from continuing his assault when a series of bullets impacted his back.

"I thought it was against da rules fer a knight ta hit a lady," Beelzemon said, barrels of the shotgun in his outstretched arm still smoking. He then charged forward and the two Megas proceeded to exchange blows.

"We gotta help," Mako said as held out a card to Ai.

"Not that card," Ai replied.

"Why not?"

"Gallantmon's running circles around them," Ai argued. "Beelzemon doesn't need more power, he needs speed so he can keep up."

"No, he just needs to hit harder!"

"We _need_ to change things up," Suzie declared as she sifted through her own cards. Gallantmon was a Virus-type, which meant that Vaccine-type attacks would be most effective. Suzie pulled free an Angewomon card and swiped it through her D-Power. Soon after, a bow and arrow made of light appeared in Antylamon's arms.

"CELESTIAL ARROW!"

Antylamon took aim fired the arrow, allowing it to fly through the air. Gallantmon, who had gained the upper hand on Beelzemon again, was stopped in his tracks when the arrow connected. He was stunned for a couple seconds, but soon turned his attention towards Antylamon.

As she looked on, Suzie felt something pull on her shoulder. She looked to find Terriermon there, looking through the cards in her hand. "Not to be a backseat Tamer, but we're gonna need something bigger than a shiny arrow," he said. "How about this one?" Terriermon was pointing at a card bearing the image of an Imperialdramon.

Suzie shook her head. "We can't risk it," she replied. Suzie had considered the card in question, but decided against using it due to their surroundings. The street they were on was small, and collateral damage would be immense if they misused the attack.

By this point, Gallantmon had shaken off the effects of the previous attack and charged. Antylamon did her best to dodge, but Gallantmon managed to slash her across the chest with his lance. She fell backwards towards Suzie, who herself fell to a knee after receiving the feedback of the attack. In a flash, Antylamon reverted back into Lopmon. Ignoring her current pain, Suzie ran to her partner's side.

"Sorry," Lopmon said weakly as Suzie picked her up.

"Don't be," Suzie replied, trying to smile as she spoke. "You did great, all things considered."

Suzie looked upwards at their would-be assailant, seeing him staring down at them with a cold look in his eyes. He turned his head to look back at Beelzemon, who looked like he was having trouble standing up. Suzie assumed he was trying to decide who to attack next. That decision was taken away from him, however, when two more Mega-level digimon landed on either side of him.

* * *

Hypnos having eyes on everything in the city meant that Takato and Rika knew about the tear moments after it opened. If Henry's warning about "huge energy readings" didn't convince them to make a break for its location, Guilmon and Renamon sensing a powerful digimon at the location did. They made the decision to bio-merge soon after, deciding they didn't want to risk getting there too late.

As Gallantmon, Takato and Guilmon leapt from rooftop to rooftop with Sakuyamon flying not high above them. Now having full access to digimon senses, Takato did not like what he felt at their intended destination. It wasn't only that what he felt seemed dark and powerful, but also familiar. He felt almost the same way he did during his recurring nightmares.

Jumping off one final rooftop and landing firmly on the road below, Takato found that his fears were not unfounded. Standing by an open reality tear was another Gallantmon, clad in dark armor and looking back at him at him with a cold stare. Sakuyamon, who had landed on the opposite side of their new opponent, wasn't any better off than he was. The shaman gripped her staff tightly and positioned herself so she could strike when necessary.

"He doesn't look like he wants to be friends," Guilmon said, breaking the silence.

"You're right about that," Takato agreed, trying not to sound worried. In all his time training and fighting in real battles, he had never considered what it would take to defeat himself. He wondered whether or not that would make the battle more difficult. Before that could be decided, a couple smaller matters had to be dealt with.

"You guys should get clear," Takato suggested, looking towards Suzie and Lopmon as he spoke. Suzie gave a brief nod before carrying her partner aside.

"Yeah, make some room while we get ready fer round two," Beelzemon said weakly, barely standing as he did. The dark Gallantmon took notice of this, immediately leaping towards his wounded prey to attack. Luckily, Takato was able to react just as quickly. He and Guilmon willed their shared form forward to intercept the attack. Bringing their shield, Aegis, to bear, they were able to deflect their enemy's lance.

"Maybe it's better you don't stick around either," Takato added without turning to face Beelzemon. Instead, he stared down his counterpart, whose only response was a brief growl. After a brief flash indicating that Beelzemon had returned to his Rookie form, the other Gallantmon attacked again, this time with Takato as his target.

Takato immediately engaged, bringing up Aegis for defense while he tried to counterattack with his lance, Gram. Both knights were able to anticipate their opponent's initial strikes, resulting in both taking a couple steps back to reevaluate the situation. As far as Takato could tell, he only had one advantage over his doppelganger. He eyed Sakuyamon, who had repositioned herself for clear shot.

Before she could send off her attack, however, the dark Gallantmon struck again. Charging forward for a direct attack, Takato's first instinct was to bring his defenses forward again. His opponent, however, seemed to see this coming. He made a last minute dash for Takato's right, driving his lance towards Takato's side. Takato tried to evade, but not before the tip of the lance dug into the armor just above his waist.

Takato staggered backwards while clutching the fresh wound. He kept his eyes on his opponent, though, who stared back with what looked like satisfaction. Had Takato and Guilmon not moved, they likely would have been skewered.

"He plays rough," Guilmon pointed out. Takato only nodded in response. Doppelganger or not, this Gallantmon didn't show any qualms about killing them.

"Then we don't hold back either!" Rika and Renamon's dual voices rang out. Takato turned to watch Sakuyamon shoot four spirit foxes from her hand. The attack hit the other Gallantmon head on, though he seemed to able to stand up tall and absorb the attack.

"I'm getting the strangest sense of déjà vu," Renamon commented. As she did, their opponent raised his lance and started to build up a dark energy at its tip.

"Time and a place, Renamon," Rika replied. They raised their staff in defense. Sakuyamon could likely have dodged the attack, but they were all a little concerned with collateral damage given their location.

"CRYSTAL SPHERE!"

The shaman raised her barrier just as the attack launched from the lance. The attack continued, though, and cracks in Sakuyamon's barrier showed that it was being worn down.

"Break's over, boy," Takato declared. They pushed themselves back into the fray, tackling their dark counterpart and effectively cancelling out his attack. A well placed foot from their opponent propelled them off of him and allowed him to regain his footing.

Rika had been right when she said they had to stop holding back. Takato held Gram forward and began to call on one of his signature attacks. The other Gallantmon raised his shield in defense, prompting Takato to turn his head to face Sakuyamon. The shaman pointed a single gloved finger at the sky, indicating how they should proceed with their attack.

Agreeing with the plan, the Royal Knight charged his opponent with his glowing lance. His dark counterpart remained firm, not suspecting what was to come. Takato leapt upwards and, when his opponent repositioned his shield to compensate, they made their move.

"AMETHYST WIND!"

Courtesy of Sakuyamon, a storm of cherry blossoms filled the air and all targeted the black knight. This time, the shaman's attack had the desired effect, immobilizing its target. By this point, Takato was directly above his doppelganger.

"LIGHTNING JOUST!"

A bolt of energy ejected itself from Gram and hit its mark dead on. Takato adjusted their descent just enough so they landed off to the side of the point of impact. Of course, they stumbled a bit as they came to ground, landing in a prone position rather than their feet.

"Nice landing, Goggle-head," Rika teased as one of Sakuyamon's outstretched hands appeared in front of his face.

"Just like I planned," Takato replied as he dismissed Gram and took the shaman's hand. As he stood, he looked back towards the point of impact. He didn't see any movement through the smoke, but the darkness he felt earlier still lingered.

Then the smoke cleared, revealing that the other Gallantmon was still standing. The dirty and damaged state of his armor did indicate the last attack had done some damage, but it did seem like it frustrated him as well. There was no growling or excessive posturing, but there was a way more intense look in his eyes. He took aim with his shield and a large amount of energy began to mass around it.

Takato brought Aegis forward in the hopes of blocking and possibly countering the attack, but was forced to abandon the tactic when his counterpart released it. Rather than a concentrated beam, a dark pulse was released. There was no need to look to Rika to decide their next move. Jeri, Suzie, Ai, Mako, and the rest of the digimon were still nearby and unprotected. The knight and shaman both threw themselves in between their friends and the attack, hoping to absorb most of the damage.

The next thing Takato knew was that he was on the ground. He took a brief note of his flesh-and-blood hand as he pushed himself up, indicating that he and Guilmon had been unable to hold their Mega form. At his side was the aforementioned saurian, as well as Rika and Renamon. They all seemed to be in about the same shape he was. The surrounding area was worse off than it was before, with a couple buildings even looking like they were ready to topple over. Takato found some relief in the fact that the rest of his friends were unharmed, or at least no more harmed than they were before the attack.

Takato suddenly noticed a familiar-shaped shadow falling over him. Takato tried to stand to face the shadow's owner, but a sharp pain in his side kept him from doing so. He settled for a kneeling position and turned to find a lance pointed in his face. What struck Takato as peculiar was it wasn't poised to execute him, but instead held in place as warning to stay down. He looked up at the Gallantmon's face. While the conviction in his eyes didn't necessarily _look_ familiar, it did resemble something that had been described to Takato many times.

Based on what Rika and Henry had told him over the years, this was how Takato looked when he had a strong sense of purpose. Up to this point, Takato held up some hope that this darkened version of his Mega form was a manufactured copy or even just a powerful, wild digimon. Now, he had no doubt in his mind that he was looking at another version of himself.

 _What does he want, though?_ Takato asked himself. If his counterpart wanted them all dead, he would have done so already. At this point, the two of them had been staring at each other for quite a few seconds, but this was fine with Takato. Just like how the knight standing over him had given a nonverbal warning to stay down, Takato had a warning of his own to give. Whatever his doppelganger wanted, he couldn't have it.

The message seemed to get across. Gallantmon drew his lance back and poised it to strike, understanding that Takato would die before letting him hurt any of his friends. Takato conceded that this was not how he imagined his life ending. He would have fought if he could, but was not in a position to do so at the moment. Despite hearing both Guilmon and Rika weakly say his name, Takato kept his eyes up and forward.

"Wait!" called out a distressed voice that finally drew their attention away from each other. While Takato instantly recognized the voice as Jeri's, he still had to do a double take of the situation, and then a third as she slowly positioned herself in between the two of them. If someone had told Takato that morning that Jeri Katou would singlehandedly save him from a Mega-level digimon, he wouldn't have believed them.

"J-Jeri," Takato said as he snapped back to reality. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to help." Jeri's voice didn't hide how nervous and uncertain she was. The last time she had been like this was the days immediately following the defeat of the first D-Reaper.

"Look, I appreciate the thought, but-"

"He's _dangerous_ ," Jeri replied in an almost mocking tone. She eyed the knight standing over her, who hadn't moved since she stepped up. Her tone softened as she continued to speak. "I guess you're right. He's way more dangerous than he should be, but I'm willing to bet he's not as dangerous we think he is."

"Now's not the time to start gambling, Jeri," Rika called out. She had finally managed to pick herself up.

"What do you think?" Jeri asked the Gallantmon standing over her.

The knight stood completely still for a couple beats. He then dismissed his weapons before kneeling down in front of Jeri. Takato couldn't decide whether or not he was surprised by this action. He couldn't say the same, however, for what happened next.

Gallantmon firmly took hold of Jeri with both hands and lifted her upwards. Then, moving so quickly he looked like a black blur, he made a dash for the reality tear behind him.

"Jeri!" Takato yelled. Adrenaline kicking in, he forced himself upright.

"Did that seriously just happen?" Terriermon asked as he, Suzie, Lopmon, Ai, Mako, and Impmon ran up to rejoin Takato and Rika. No one was given a chance to answer before the reality tear began to flicker.

"That's just what we need," Rika said sarcastically. She turned to face Takato. "What do you wanna do?"

"The only thing we can do," Takato answered instantly. "Go after her."

No one disagreed as the entire group made a mad dash for the tear. It began to flicker faster as they got closer, much to Takato's dismay. Even if they made it through before it closed, it would end up closing behind them, stranding them on the other side. Reminding himself that Jeri would be all alone if they stayed, Takato pushed forward and crossed his fingers.

* * *

 _Normally this is the part where I give some observation or trivia on the chapter, but nothing's really coming to mind this time around._

 _So, yeah, uh..._

 _Hello, reader. How are you?_


	6. Brave, (Somewhat) New World

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Brave, (Somewhat) New World**

When the Tamers made their dash towards the closing reality tear, Terriermon had thought it would be a good idea to hop on Guilmon's back. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about falling behind due to his significantly shorter legs. Unfortunately, he had not considered the notion that he might lose his grip when the saurian made a desperate leap forward to ensure they made it through the hole in universe. At the moment, Terriermon found himself lying face-down on the fractured road.

He allowed himself a few seconds of self-pity before reminding himself why they were here and picking himself up. Upon standing, Terriermon found that he had been the last of the group to do so and, at this point, everyone else was looking around their immediate surroundings. Terriermon considered asking whether or not they had made it through the tear, but soon found there was no need to do so. While the vicinity showed the same damage caused by the tear's initial opening, it lacked the destruction caused by the battle that followed.

The fact that they had made it to their intended destination, however, didn't seem to be any consolation to the others. Takato and Rika had both turned on the radar feature of their D-Powers, but didn't seem to be having any luck choosing a direction in which they could start their search.

"You got anything yet?" Takato asked impatiently.

"No," Rika replied in a similar tone. "Did Jeri even have her digivice on her?"

"I don't know. I guess she really wouldn't have a reason to." Takato turned his attention away from his D-Power briefly before looking towards it again. "What about _his_ digivice?"

"I'm not sure that'll work," Suzie chimed in. Terriermon turned around and found the girl looking uncertainly at the radar of her own D-Power. "Henry says that every digivice operates on a different frequency based on the world they were made in. Ours might not be able to detect his."

"What about you guys?" Rika asked as she turned towards Renamon. "Can you sense which direction they went in?"

"Maybe given time," Renamon replied calmly as she looked over the area around them.

Realizing that Guilmon was sniffing around the immediate area, Terriermon also turned his senses outward. While he couldn't detect any digimon, Terriermon didn't sense _absolutely_ nothing. He couldn't describe it exactly and he couldn't decide on a direction, but there was something in the distance. The best comparison he could come up with was static. "You feel that?" he asked Renamon.

"Strange… it's almost as though something is actively trying to hide itself from us. For now, we may have to conduct this search the old fashioned way."

"Shouldn't be too hard. We just gotta look for the knight doing a King Kong routine."

"Terriermon…" Lopmon groaned. A quick glance around the group told Terriermon that everyone agreed with her sentiment.

"Fine," Terriermon whined as he crossed his arms. "But if we find him climbing up the side of a skyscraper, I get to make all the jokes I want."

Any further debate was put on hold by everyone turning their attention outward again. When they had first arrived, the street they were on had been deserted. Since beginning their discussion, however, it had slowly begun to repopulate. On top of curious onlookers, two police cars suddenly made an appearance, taking position on either side of the group of Tamers.

"Uh-oh," Terriermon commented. "Somebody called the fuzz."

"No, now _this_ is just what we needed," Rika added.

"We could cooperate," Takato suggested. "Maybe this world's Yamaki could bail us out."

"That's _if_ he'll even take our phone calls."

"Okay, fair point."

Terriermon eyed the police officers exiting the vehicles and drawing their firearms. Terriermon hated guns, not so much because of any stigma attached to them, but because they were typically useless against most major threats that found their way to Shinjuku. Of course, they would be plenty effective against the humans that made up half of their group. Fighting back wasn't really an option at the moment. Terriermon didn't need Henry to explain to him that using lethal force against a bunch of guys just their job was wrong.

"What's our play, den," Impmon was the first to ask.

"We're open to suggestions," Renamon replied. " _Some_ of us have more experience in dealing with the authorities than others."

"Hey, I gotta set a good example here. _Some_ of us are more impressionable dan others."

"What?" Mako asked as a few sets of eyes turned towards him.

"Put your hands above your heads!" an officer called.

 _Okay, enough of this_ , Terriermon thought. He looked over his friends before his eyes settled on Lopmon. "I think it's time we made our exit, Lop."

"You wanna kick up a little dirt?" she asked before both digimon looked to Takato for approval.

"Do it," Takato said as he pulled his goggles over his eyes. "You all know where to meet."

Before the police officers could get off their second warning, Terriermon and Lopmon both began to spin. The result was a pair of small but powerful twisters which, due to the state of area, drew up all manner of dirt and gravel. The mixture of wind and material discouraged the officers as well as any lingering civilians from looking in the Tamers' direction.

Positive that all his friends had used the opportunity to escape, Terriermon ceased his spinning. Using what was left of his momentum, he propelled himself into a nearby alley. While he hadn't been able to stick the landing, Terriermon did manage to stumble out of sight. Of course, now he was completely alone in an alien reality. He decided not to dwell on the notion and started moving. Like Takato said, he knew where everyone would be meeting.

* * *

Henry looked back and forth between the monitors of the Hypnos control center. In addition to the readouts pertaining to the reality, they had also been able to bring out real-time video of the location. Everyone in the room had watched the battle with the alternate world's Gallantmon, as well as how the Tamers had followed him through the tear after he left with Jeri in hand.

Henry clenched his fists together as techs began relaying information to Yamaki. Members of his own family and his closest friends were now missing, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He tried to breathe and center himself, but was finding the task more difficult than usual.

"Emergency crews are requesting permission to approach the area," Tally announced.

"Give them the all-clear," Yamaki replied. "There's nothing more we can do."

"That destruction…" Riley murmured as she looked at the monitor on her work station. She spoke louder and clearer when she continued. "None of the other tears did this."

"This one was also open exponentially longer than the others," Alice pointed out. These had been her first words in quite some time. During the fight, she had kept to herself in the back of the room.

"Do you think there's a correlation?"

"I don't believe in coincidence."

"Can we use any of that to predict where the next one will open?" Henry asked, having taken the first opportunity he could find to steer the conversation. More than anything else, he wanted to find a way to help his friends.

"I'm not sure we have enough information to run a predictive algorithm yet," Tally responded apologetically.

"We'll start trying to put something together, though," Riley added, obviously trying to sound more positive and supportive than her counterpart.

"Well, what about opening a tear of our own?" Henry asked instinctively. "Don't we still have the equipment from a few months ago in storage?"

"Isn't making our own tears what got us here in the first place?" Alice asked, causing Henry to turn to face her. Her expression wasn't betraying any emotion. Henry was sure that, in her mind, she was being objective and rational to compensate for his own emotional state.

"The damage is done," Henry argued. "What's the worst that could happen at this point?"

"The worst that could happen is that we make things worse." Slightly raised eyebrows and a harsher tone showed that Alice was starting to become irritated. "Besides, we have no way of guaranteeing that the portal will lead to the universe we want it to." Alice was not incorrect. Each portal needed to be tuned to the corresponding frequency of the world they wished to travel to, which could be produced by digivices native to the intended destination. While Hypnos had been able to identify these frequencies, they were still having trouble replicating them.

"Then we find a way!"

"Exactly how are we going to do that?"

"Enough!" Yamaki's voice silenced the entire room. "I want _everyone_ at their stations and doing their jobs." He turned in Henry's direction. "Mr. Wong, I want to see you in my office before you head downstairs."

Henry didn't protest and followed the man across the hall. While the size of Yamaki's office reflected his position as the head of Hypnos, it felt strangely empty as well. There were no paintings or photographs like a lot of other offices would have. While it had a sizable window, the headquarter's out-of-the-way location meant there wasn't really a view to enjoy.

As Yamaki took his seat behind his desk, Henry found a seat on the opposite side of it. "Look," Henry began. "I'm-"

"I just want you to listen for a minute, Henry," Yamaki stated. He clasped his hands together and looked directly at Henry. He remained level-headed in both tone and posture. "I know what you're thinking. You think that if you had been out there with your friends, you could have prevented that outcome. Maybe you're right, but unless someone around here manages to invent a time machine in the near future, we'll never know for sure."

Henry stayed quiet. Nothing Yamaki had said was wrong and, in all honesty, was likely the kind of advice Henry would have were he in Yamaki's position.

"We're going to everything we can," Yamaki continued. "If there's a way to get them back, we'll find it, but you have to focus. You're more harm than help to them if you can't do that."

"Okay," Henry said in response.

Yamaki didn't bother to dismiss him, instead picking up a report in one hand and turning on his computer monitor with the other. Henry silently made his way out of the office and towards the elevator, all the while trying to figure out what his first action would be once he made it back to his workstation. His train of thought was interrupted, however, when he noticed a certain blonde-haired individual standing by the elevator, seemingly waiting for him.

"I'm sorry your friends are in danger," Alice said as Henry hit the button to call the elevator. He looked towards her, but she seemed to be dodging his gaze.

"You have a funny way of showing it," Henry replied. He turned to face the elevator.

"I'm _not_ sorry about what I said back there. The whole city can end up just like that street if we're not careful. Your friends can take care of themselves until we find a solution that doesn't put millions of lives at risk."

The bell of elevator interrupted Henry before he could respond. He ultimately said nothing as the two of them entered the elevator and made their way back down to their cubicle.

* * *

Rika paced back and forth as she waited for the arrival of the rest of her friends. She and Renamon had been the first to arrive at this world's version of Guilmon's old shed. While the two of them had not been waiting long, their current circumstances made any amount of waiting unbearable in Rika's mind.

"They'll be here," Renamon stated.

"I know," Rika replied without facing her partner. "It's just that the more time we spend here, the better chance there is of someone else finding us." The sun was also setting, however, meaning that a group as "varied" as theirs might have an easier time moving around at night.

"It's almost identical." The statement caused Rika to stop to see what Renamon was talking about. The kitsune was looking inside the shed. "Right down to the smallest details."

"I guess they spent a lot of time here too." Rika knew that Renamon's sudden curiosity was at least partly her desire to keep Rika occupied. Rika peered into the shed herself, deciding to indulge her. The interior possessed all the holes Guilmon had dug while living there. In all likelihood, the portal to the Digital World was beneath it. "But obviously something went wrong at some point."

The rustling of leaves caused Rika to around. From out of the brush emerged Suzie, with Lopmon riding on her head. The girl looked around before her eyes settled on Rika.

"Nobody else?" Suzie asked. Rika only shook her head in response. Suzie looked at the ground briefly before sitting herself down at the top of the stairs that led to the shed.

"At least not yet, anyway," Rika said quickly. Suzie didn't seem to react to Rika's attempt at reassuring her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice told Rika to leave things at that. After all, being emotionally supportive, particularly when it came to the younger Tamers, wasn't something she excelled at. Given the current, fragmented state of their team, Rika decided against being selfish in this instance. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked as she sat down next to Suzie.

"I'm worried about Jeri."

"Yeah…" Rika wasn't exactly sure what the best way to respond to that was, so she ended up saying the first thing that came to mind. "I wouldn't worry too much about her. She's a lot tougher than we all give her credit for."

"I just don't wanna lose anyone else." Suzie's gaze remained fixed on the stairs below her.

This time, no response immediately came to Rika's mind. She wanted to assure Suzie that everyone was going to be alright, but given their history, that felt like a lie. Luckily for her, a set of approaching voices broke the silence between the two of them.

"Don't worry," Takato said. "I'm sure she'll understand once we explain what happened."

"But I _promised_ we'd be home on time," Guilmon replied sadly.

"Trust me, boy; if she gets mad at anyone, it definitely won't be you." The conversation between the two ended once they spotted Rika and Suzie. Takato's mouth formed a weak smile upon making eye contact with Rika. "Hey…"

"Hey…" Rika replied. Despite how relieved she was to see him, she tried to keep a neutral expression. She did, however, stand up to approach him. Rika managed to get glimpse of dried blood on Takato's t-shirt, on the spot where he had nearly gotten stabbed during the fight. "Is that okay?"

"It's not that deep." Takato zipped up his hoodie to better hide the blood. "So, what do you think we should do once everyone gets here?"

"I really don't know." Their entire situation was about far from ideal as they could get. They had all charged through the portal without a plan. Not only were they cut off from their friends back home, but they had no way of tracking Jeri or her captor. Rika's earlier feelings of irritation and impatience found their way back under her skin. "You're such a Goggle-head!"

"I guess this really wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had."

"No, not that, and not _you_ for that matter." Takato raised an eyebrow, obviously not sure what Rika was trying to say. She turned away from him, pinching the bridge of her nose as she continued. "The _other_ you. What was he thinking?"

"I'm not sure. Honestly, he might not of been thinking at all." His tone was a bit depressed. Knowing Takato, he was blaming himself for what happened despite circumstances being beyond his control.

"We're just not in a good way right now."

"At least we know our way around," Takato replied, his tone lightening a bit.

Rika turned back towards Takato and frowned, causing him smile nervously and raise his hands apologetically. In a weird way, the comment actually made her feel a little better. As long as Takato was able to keep his spirits up, it meant they still had a chance of turning their situation around. With that said, it was still a bad joke, and Rika was not about to give him her approval for it.

The conversation came to an end, however, as it was interrupted by the sound of footsteps running up the stairs towards the shed. Ai, Mako, and Impmon came to a halt after making three-quarters of the way up the steps. Out of breath, they had obviously been running for a bit.

"What happened to you guys?" Suzie was the first to ask.

Ai glared at her brother, who crossed his arms and turned away from her. "I don't want to have this conversation again," she answered irritably. No one seemed interested in pushing the matter further.

"That just leaves Terriermon," Renamon pointed out. Rika looked towards her partner, and found she had not been speaking to the group directly. Instead, she was looking upwards towards the trees, as though she were searching for something.

"What do we do once he gets here?" Lopmon asked.

"I guess that's the question," Takato replied. "It'll be dark soon, and I don't think wandering aimlessly around the city is a good idea."

"So, what?" Impmon chimed in. "We stay here?"

"Maybe we could…"

At this point, Rika was only half paying attention to the group conversation. Her attention was once again focused on Renamon, who had stopped looking back and forth and was now looking up at a single point in the tree line. "What's wrong?" she asked the kitsune.

"We're not alone," Renamon said without turning her attention away from the point of interest.

"Who is it?" As Rika asked the question, Guilmon also looked upward. Though he didn't adopt the feral state he usually did when a wild digimon appeared, he did give the point his full focus.

"Someone who doesn't realize how predictable she is to her current prey."

"I suppose I should have known better," a smooth voice replied, causing everyone to look back and forth between Renamon and the direction the voice came from. Just as Rika began to understand what she had just heard, _another_ Renamon materialized on top of the shed. Between her voice and physical demeanor, there was no denying she was looking at her partner's own doppelganger.

"Just something to remember for the future, Renamon," another voice rang out. Rika didn't recognize the voice at first, but it became obvious why as the voice's owner walked out from behind the shed. She had heard a couple times in her life that most people don't recognize the sound of their own voice.


	7. Deviations

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Deviations**

Jeri couldn't remember the exact moment she had lost consciousness, but decided that figuring that out was not a priority at the moment. The fact was that she _had_ passed out at some point and was now waking up on an old, worn out mattress. She looked around, finding that the room she was in was empty, which made identifying her location difficult. Still, Jeri couldn't help but feel a certain familiarity with her surroundings.

All questions and feelings seemed to pause, however, as full awareness returned to her and she realized that she was not alone. Sitting a few feet away from the mattress and watching her intently was Takato. Jeri sat straight up, the logical part of her brain telling her to remain calm. This wasn't the friend that she saw nearly every day, but a doppelganger and the knight who abducted her. She couldn't do anything hasty until she at least figured out what his motivations were.

"Hey…" Takato said softly, scratching the back of his head nervously as he spoke. "Sorry, I guess you passed out because I was moving too fast."

For the moment, Jeri was speechless. This alternate Takato was identical to her own Takato, or at least seemed so based on his appearance and mannerisms. The only obvious difference she could see were the clothes he was wearing, though he wore the same goggles that Takato always had. Granted, she wasn't exactly sure what kind of differences she had been expecting.

Guilmon, on the other hand, was a different story. Finally noticing that the saurian digimon was sitting in the room with them, Jeri was taken aback a bit. This Guilmon's scales seemed dull and faded compared to the bright red she was used to. He stared at her with dilated pupils, almost as though he was indifferent to her presence. Jeri had to resist the urge to show her dismay at the digimon's appearance, as his cheery and childlike disposition was what she loved most about him.

"What wrong, Jeri?" Takato asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Where are we?" Jeri replied, deciding to start with the simplest question.

"Home, or at least it used to be." He smiled as he spoke.

It finally dawned on Jeri where they were. "The bakery?"

"What's left of it, anyway. The last owners did their best with it, but they weren't my parents. Since they've basically abandoned the place, I decided to take advantage of…" Takato trailed off as he looked towards her. Jeri was having trouble following his story, and it must have been showing. "Oh, right, alternate universe…"

"So, you already know?"

"I mean, I'm not Henry so I couldn't tell you the science, but I've read enough comic books to recognize the signs. I've been looking into these portals the last couple days, and once I saw you, I knew I had to be right." Takato paused for a beat and, for the first time since Jeri had awoken, looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Jeri."

"For what?"

"Where do I start?" Takato looked back towards her. Up to this point, he had seemed friendly and excited to see her, despite the circumstances. Now, all Jeri saw was sadness. "For attacking without thinking and putting you in harm's way, for starters."

"Why _did_ you attack us?" Something wasn't adding up and Jeri's gut was telling her to find out what it was.

"My instincts kicked in and I lost control. I guess I assumed you were in danger when I saw you standing next to Impmon."

"Why would I be in danger around…?" Now it was Jeri's turn trail off. As she began to ask the question, Takato began to look at her like she had two heads. Jeri paused, as the pieces she was being given began to fit together to form a very dark picture. Not ready to deal with it just yet, she pushed it aside and decided to change topics. "Why did you bring me here, Takato?"

"Like I said, instincts. When I saw you, I just…" he turned away from her again. "I guess I just wanted to talk to you one more time."

"Why can't you just go talk to _your_ Jeri?"

"She, well I guess you, I mean…" Takato choked a bit as he spoke and looked back towards her. "You died, Jeri."

Jeri stood straight up and backed towards the door, stumbling a bit as she did. Again, another piece of the puzzle that fit all too well. Despite the fact that Jeri knew that she was very much still alive, she still felt as though she were about to throw up.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Jeri said without thinking. At this point, she still wasn't sure if she was a prisoner or not, but that last bit of news made that detail irrelevant in her mind.

"Jeri, wait…" Takato said as he slowly stood up and walked towards her.

"It's just that, even if they didn't follow us through the tear, my friends will be trying to find a way to find me, so-" Jeri bumped into the doorframe, further scattering her concentration.

"It's getting late, Jeri." Takato reached towards her, but ended up pulling his hand back and sticking it in his pocket. "Look, I know I just threw a lot at you, but I don't want you running around the city by yourself. Even without the possibility of running into a wild digimon, that can be dangerous."

"It's just…" Jeri was having trouble figuring out exactly how she felt. Everything about this reality just felt like a bad dream she couldn't wake up from.

"Please, just stay here for tonight. I'll help you find a way home tomorrow. It's the least I can do." She looked Takato in the eyes, seeing the same sincerity she always did. Had the Takato from her own reality made the offer, she would have accepted without hesitation.

In the end, Jeri just nodded as she slid back against the doorframe. Taking a few seconds to breathe and think, she realized she had no choice. She trusted her friends to come for her, but she also worried about what else she might come to learn about this reality if she spent much more time here.

* * *

Takato was tempted to slap himself just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A more rational voice in his head reminded him where he was and that alternate versions of everyone he knew were to be expected. He looked to his friends, and found their reactions to very much in line with own. Rika was clutching her D-Power as though she were preparing for a fight, which Takato conceded as a fair precaution. His own double hadn't exactly given them a friendly greeting.

"Curious," the alternate Renamon said as she leapt off the shed and landed next to her partner. "They don't seem to be digital duplicates or anything like that, but _something_ is off about them. Wherever they're from, they don't belong here."

"I don't care where they belong," Rika's doppelganger replied impatiently. "All I want to know is whether or not they're a threat."

"I suppose we're about to find out, Ruki."

"Ruki?" Takato said without thinking.

"That _is_ my name," "Ruki" stated with an irritated tone that he knew all too well. Takato wondered if he would be able to tell the two apart if they weren't dressed differently. The outfit Ruki was wearing actually reminded him of how Rika appeared in the dream that preceded their first meeting.

This line of thought ended when Takato realized he was staring and that said staring seemed to be annoying Ruki. Takato looked to Rika, partially to play off his lapse in attention as well as get an answer to his previous inquiry. Upon meeting his gaze, his friend placed her face in the palm of her hand.

"My parents had trouble agreeing on a name," Rika explained. "According to my mom, they ended up flipping a coin to decide."

"Well, that's…" Takato began only to have Rika lift her head from her hand and giving him one of her infamous death-stares. "…interesting." Rika's expression didn't change as he finished the thought.

"Actually, it is a little interesting," Renamon interjected, possibly as a friendly attempt to keep Takato from digging his own grave. "This implies that half the 'Rikas' in the multiverse aren't 'Rikas' at all."

"Yeah, I'm sure _you_ find all that fascinating, but I'm gonna have to skip the lecture," Ruki said as she turned away from them. "Come on, Renamon."

"Where the hell are you going?" Rika yelled after her double.

"Somewhere where you losers aren't."

"You're not even gonna ask why we're here?" Suzie asked.

"No, because I don't care."

"Wait a sec," Takato called out as he ran after Ruki. He managed to get in front of her and stop her from walking away.

"Get out of my way," Ruki growled. She refused to look him in the eye.

"Not until you hear us out. We're here looking for someone and we could use your help." Takato paused and waited for a reply, but didn't receive one. Ruki didn't try to move past him either, however, which he took as a que to continue. "Do you know where we can find _your_ version of _me_?"

"No, I don't," Ruki replied coldly. She turned away from Takato to face the others. "And if you want my opinion, you should save yourself the trouble and stop looking for him. He's not worth it."

"Well, we didn't ask for your opinion," Rika shot back. "All we want is information."

"Well, I've got nothing for you."

"Look, let's start over," Takato said as he looped around Ruki to place himself in between the two redheads. "Maybe you could get us up to speed on what's been happening the last few years. Something drastic must have happened here to make your lives so different from ours."

Ruki didn't answer him right away, instead taking a couple seconds to look over the group. "Yeah you could say something drastic happened alright," she said as she pointed a thumb at Impmon.

"What do I got ta do wit…?" Impmon began to ask before trailing off. Rather than finish the thought, he ended but turning his head away from everyone else.

"Everything went to hell after that little creep killed Leomon."

"No, that wasn't it," Takato said as neutrally as he could. Now was not the time to dig up old wounds. "It had to have been after that."

"Not _too_ long after that," Ruki stated very matter-of-factly.

"What makes you say that?" Takato asked slowly.

"The fact that _your_ Impmon is still breathing. We all watched you execute him on the spot."

What was probably only a few seconds of silence felt like hours to Takato. He remembered announcing his intent to execute Beelzemon after defeating him, as well as Jeri's pleas for him to stop. In that moment, Takato had wanted nothing more than to end the life of the monster who had struck down his friend, but he ended up holding back simply because Jeri had asked him to. He found it hard to believe there was a version of him that wouldn't do the same.

The reactions of those around him were mixed. Ai and Mako both shifted nervously. They were both aware of their shared partner's past, but likely weren't used to experiencing the pain it had caused firsthand. Impmon himself looked back and forth between Takato and Guilmon before his eyes settled on the latter, whose only response was to shrug apologetically. Takato looked to Rika, who gave him a confident nod. Had they had a minute to step aside and talk, she probably would have told him that he had nothing to do with what happened in this reality, and that he should stay focused on the task at hand.

"To top it all off, you ended up loading his data too," Ruki continued unsympathetically. "Your Mega form went from being a white knight to twisted shadow. You called it ChaosGallantmon." She likely didn't see any distinction between the two Takatos, and these revelations were too fresh for Takato to try and convince her otherwise. "Like I said, nothing was the same after that."

"What happened to Jeri?" Takato asked hesitantly. He had his suspicions, but knew they all needed to hear the whole story.

"The D-Reaper took advantage of the state she was in, used her as a pawn in its invasion of the Real World. We stopped it, but…" Ruki paused for a brief but notable moment. Her tone and demeanor softened a bit, showing that she and Rika might not be as different as she wanted them to think. "…we were too late to save her."

Again, silence followed the new piece of information. The only reason Takato had been able to handle being separated from Guilmon and the other digimon after that battle was the fact that all his friends had survived it. Knowing that his doppelganger had endured both those losses in so short a time made it easier to understand his current state.

"And let me guess," Rika said bitterly, breaking the silence. "You used all that as an excuse to let the team fall apart."

"Don't you get it?" Ruki questioned. "After that, there was no team. Takato completely vanished a few weeks later, and no one seemed interested in carrying on without him."

"What about Henry?"

"And Ryo?" Suzie added. "And the rest of us?"

"As far as I'm concerned, they're just as much a lost cause," Ruki answered. The contempt in her voice stung at Takato a bit. "Henry didn't even try to stay in contact. He might as well have up and left too."

"Yeah, I'm sure _all_ the blame for that fell on him," Rika said. If the tone of her voice didn't convey her disappointment in her double, her glare did.

Ruki ignored the comment. "Ryo pulled one of his vanishing acts. No one knows where he is."

"Knowing him, he probably found his way back to the Digital World," Takato suggested. The "Legendary Tamer" had always had a hard time taking to civilian life.

"I guess the two of you had the same idea," Renamon said. Takato turned to her with a raised eyebrow as she addressed Ruki and her own double. "That's what happened, isn't it? _Your_ Takato found the portal under this shed, but rather than tell anyone about it, he used it to travel to the Digital World on his own."

"We had managed to stay together upon returning to the Digital World," Ruki's Renamon explained. "When Takato found us, we assumed he had come to return us home. Instead, he took Guilmon with him on a journey deeper into the Digital World." She paused for a beat. "Our group splintered soon after that. I eventually found a method to return to the Real World on my own."

"When did Takato and Guilmon show up again?"

"We accidently bumped into each other about year back while going after the same wild digimon," Ruki replied. "Got there just in time to watch that hypocrite load its data. After all the crap he used to give me…" She never finished the thought. She turned to leave again. "Storytime's over. We've given you more than enough info to go on."

"You're not going anywhere!" Rika declared.

"Good luck stopping me," Ruki called back without turning around.

"He took Jeri!"

Ruki stopped in tracks. She never turned back around to face them, but Takato knew Rika had hit a soft spot. Takato gave Rika an approving nod, to which she replied simply by crossing her arms and collecting herself.

"I guess you guys need a place to stay while you look," Ruki said impatiently.

"That would be helpful," Takato said as humbly as he could.

"Let's go before I change my mind."

"We're, uh, still waiting on someone."

"Perfect…" Ruki made her way over to a nearby tree, likely so she could wait in solitude. "Another loser to slow me down."

"I don't really talk like that, do I?" Rika asked when her double was out of earshot. Not wanting to answer the question, Takato tried not to look back towards her. He looked to Renamon for some indication on how to reply, but found the kitsune had reacted very much the same way.

* * *

Terriermon peered out from the bush he was hiding behind. While it was getting late, the park was still occupied by a decent number of civilians. Even though the existence of digimon was public knowledge back home, their presence in the Real World was still a bit controversial to say the least. Terriermon had no idea how much better or worse his standing would be with this version of society and _really_ didn't want to find out.

He let off an annoyed sigh. He knew that he was going to hear it for taking so long to reach the meeting point, but it couldn't be helped. While Terriermon knew his way around Shinjuku Park, he wasn't used to traversing it on his own. He usually had a head or shoulder to ride on. If anything, this was his friends' fault. The Tamers' policy was typically to stay close to one's partner in the event the group was split up. They had all seemed to have forgotten that Terriermon's partner was not present.

 _Or maybe that makes all this Henry's fault,_ Terriermon thought. _I definitely wouldn't be in this mess if he wasn't busy playing office monkey._

Terriermon looked up and down the path he needed to cross next. Once he accomplished this, he would be in the clear. The route he and Henry typically used to reach the utility shed didn't typically see much use by the common park goer. Convinced no one was watching, he dashed across to the brush on the other side.

"Who needs Henry?" Terriermon asked himself triumphantly as he found himself in a familiar clearing.

"Terriermon?" an all-too-familiar voice said suddenly, causing Terriermon to slowly turn around to face its owner.

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

* * *

Standing over a hole in the ground in the utility shed, Suzie thought about how easy it would be to travel to this reality's Digital World. She supposed the journey itself would be pretty easy, with most of the challenges coming upon her arrival there. She conceded that she little knowledge when it came to navigating said world and would no idea where to begin the search for the person she would be looking for. Still, that hadn't stopped her friends during their first journey there.

"Suzie…" Lopmon said softly. The digimon, who stood at Suzie's side, likely knew exactly what the girl was thinking and would just as likely try to talk her out of it. Not that she wouldn't accompany her if she chose to make the journey anyway. Suzie clenched her fists as a voice in head told her how wrong it was to take advantage of her partner's loyalty.

"I'm sorry, Lop, but we don't have a choice," Suzie replied without facing her partner.

"We _always_ have a choice. Look, I know this is important to you, but the others need us now. Now would be the worst time to just leave."

"Where're you goin'?" Mako's voice rang out. Suzie turned around to find him and Ai standing in the shed's doorway with Impmon close behind.

Suzie looked to Lopmon, who looked down at the ground. "To the Digital World," Suzie answered finally.

"What for?" Ai asked as she and her brother moved closer.

"To find Ryo. I think…" Suzie paused for a beat, not really sure how to answer. "…I think that a lot of this world's problems came from the team breaking up. Maybe we can help them by getting them back together."

Again, a disappointed voice sounded in Suzie's head. While part of her believed what she said to be true, she also knew that claiming it as the main reason for this journey was a flat-out lie. She knew that the actual main reason for it would be the chance at being reunited with someone she had failed to save.

"Then what're we waiting around here for?" Mako said eagerly. "Let's get movin'."

"Wait, I can't let you guys do that," Suzie replied. While she could definitely use their help, she didn't want to put them in danger.

"Yeah, well, we can't let _you_ go alone."

"Uh, guys," Impmon said as he moved to the middle of the group. "Nuthin' fer nuthin', but ain't we fergettin' about somethin'? What about Jeri?"

"With Takato and Rika still here, I don't think she has much worry about." Mako didn't sound completely convinced by his own statement. Part of him more than likely wanted to stay and help. Jeri's safety was important to Impmon, so it was important to Ai and Mako by extension.

"Dat don't mean we should leave. Ai, back me up."

Suzie looked towards Ai, who looked uncomfortable being tie-breaker. Suzie didn't blame her, as the decision had not been easy for her to make either. That fact was that Suzie hated the idea of leaving Jeri as well. These last few months, the older girl had given up so much of her own free time just because there had been a chance that doing so would help Suzie sort through her own demons.

"Maybe we _should_ go," Ai said softly. Suzie was surprised by the decision. Not only did she tend to disagree with her brother as though it were on principle, but she was typically the most reasonable of the younger Tamers. Henry had once pointed out that it made them an effective micro-team, not too dissimilar from himself, Takato, and Rika. Ai balanced out Mako's headstrong and rash behavior as well as Suzie's own tendency to follow her heart.

"Ai…" Impmon pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but if what Ruki said is true, then part of the reason the other Takato attacked us was because he saw you. Maybe we should find another way to help Jeri." Despite how conflicted Ai came across, her words still seemed to register with Impmon. He paused before moving to speak again.

"None of this matters," Suzie interrupted. "I still don't think you should come."

"Well, you going alone isn't an option," a new voice argued. All eyes turned to doorway of the shed to find Takato looking back at them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to listen in. Renamon volunteered to stay behind and wait for Terriermon, so the rest of us figured we'd get moving."

"Are you going to try and stop us?" Suzie asked nervously.

"I'm with Impmon on this one. I don't think this is a good idea." It was common knowledge that Takato was typically bad at hiding how he was feeling, yet he was somehow managing to maintain a neutral tone at the moment.

"I figured you wouldn't." Suzie looked downward. She wasn't sure she could recite her previous lie again to justify her actions.

"I know you want to see to him again, but now might not be the right time." While she and Takato didn't speak often, Suzie appreciated how he never spoke down to her when they did. He was just honest, which meant she was more likely to listen to him than Henry.

"I don't know what else to do." Suzie looked back up at Takato. Her chest clenched up and she felt herself start to get choked up. "I can't stop thinking about whether or not there was something else I could've done. The nightmares alone would be enough to drive someone crazy."

Takato's neutral expression fell away, replaced by one that almost looked sad to Suzie, and was then in turn replaced by what looked like understanding. "If Henry or your parents ever ask, you guys left before I could stop you."

It took Suzie a couple seconds to understand what she was being told. "Thank you," she croaked, not being able to resist smiling as she did.

"Let's get a move on, then!" Mako called out as he led Ai and the digimon into the hole.

Suzie, however, waited for moment and turned to Takato one last time. "You know, Takato, you're actually pretty cool when you're not acting all angry."

"Yeah, thanks," Takato replied. She could have sworn she saw him twitch a little bit.

Suzie didn't waste another second before jumping down into the hole and moving towards the portal. She had just been given a chance to make things right and she was going to make the most of it.

* * *

 _So I took a quick glance at the future and found that Rika will spend a lot more time directly interacting with her alternate universe counterpart than the others. With that in mind, the other Rika/Rika's doppelganger/Mirror Rika became Ruki for brevity's sake._


	8. Living Arrangements

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Living Arrangements**

If asked, Terriermon would not have denied that he was frustrated. His friends had left him to trudge through Shinjuku Park on his own; a task that was made even harder by the fact that he had to avoid being spotted by any human beings native to this alternate reality. Of course, not only had he failed at not being spotted, but the person who had spotted him had just so happened to be this reality's version of his human partner.

At the moment, the alternate Henry was following a few paces behind Terriermon. He had been equally surprised by their meeting, and had an unsurprising amount of questions about the situation. Unfortunately for him, Terriermon had not been in a question-answering mood.

"Terriermon, can you hold up for a second?" Henry asked.

"No, I can't," Terriermon replied. In addition with him still being upset with his actual partner, Terriermon wasn't sure he could trust this version of Henry after the Tamers' run-in with this reality's Takato.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Henry being in the park on this day of all days seemed like a way too convenient coincidence.

"Something tore up a street a few blocks away from the Matsuki's bakery. No one on the news was sure what was responsible, which usually means a digimon was involved."

' _Usually' being the key word_ , Terriermon thought. He considered asking whether or not the news program had mentioned a group of kids and digimon at the scene of the crime. Knowing if authorities were actively looking for them would make their stay easier.

"I came here because this is where we always came when we were having trouble solving a problem," Henry continued. He paused for a second. "Seriously, Terriermon, what're you doing here? It's only been a couple of days since you went back to the Digital World." If that statement was any indication, the lingering effects of Juggernaut were just as potent in this reality as they were back home.

"It's complicated," Terriermon answered. He found himself sighing as he arrived at the stairs that led to the utility shed. He _then_ found himself being lifted off the ground immediately afterward. "Hey! I can handle stairs!"

"I know you can, but you'll be complaining the whole way up."

Terriermon looked at his partner's double. His expression was a mixture of concern and irritation, which was one Terriermon had seen many times. "I'm not _your_ Terriermon," he began to explain as he settled on Henry's shoulder.

"You act pretty familiar with me to be a wild digimon." Henry began to climb the stairs.

"I didn't say I was a wild digimon. I'm partners with a _different_ Henry in a _different_ universe. That 'something' you were looking into was the portal I used to get here."

"Okay…" Henry now wore a skeptical expression that he usually reserved for when he thought he was being lied too.

"I can prove it," Terriermon claimed as they made it to the top of the stairs. He hopped off Henry's shoulder, fully intent on running over to his friends and having them explain the situation. The only problem was that they were all absent.

"Well," Henry said, using a smug tone and expression he used when he won one of their arguments.

Terriermon tried to think fast, hindered a bit by his trying to figure out why no one was present. "Try slashing a modify card through your digivice. I bet it doesn't work. Then ask me anything you think only the 'real' Terriermon would know. I'll ace that test no problem."

"I'm surprised talking to him doesn't prove his authenticity," Renamon's voice called out just before she materialized next to Terriermon. "He's the only digimon I've ever met with a mouth like _that_."

"Renamon…" Henry said, obviously surprised to see her.

"Where the heck is everyone?" Terriermon asked, trying his best to make it clear that he was annoyed about being left behind.

"We ran into Rika's counterpart here," Renamon explained. "She volunteered to help us, but became disillusioned with staying here when she realized we were waiting on you. Honestly, I can hardly blame her."

"Very funny…"

"So, he was telling the truth," Henry concluded. Renamon replied with a single nod.

"Wait a sec! You question everything I say but you believe her just like that?"

"She has a better track record than you."

"I just can't catch a break today," Terriermon mumbled.

"Moumantai, Terriermon," Renamon teased, earning her a growl in return.

"He still hasn't explained why you guys are here," Henry pointed out.

Renamon's levity seemed to fall away as a more serious look found its way into her eyes. "Your Takato found his way into our world and ended up leaving with _our_ Jeri. We're trying to get her back."

Henry's expression changed completely with the explanation. His shoulders sagged a bit and he wasn't looking in their direction. If Terriermon hadn't known better, he would have thought he was looking at regret. He looked to Renamon for an explanation, but she shook her head. Apparently, he would have to wait for answers.

"I want to help," Henry stated after a few seconds.

"I'm sure your assistance would be invaluable," Renamon replied. "We'll be at Ruki's house if you need to get in contact."

The suggestion seemed to make Henry a bit anxious. "Right, I'll be seeing you guys." As he walked away, Terriermon couldn't help but feel a lump in his stomach. Whether or not this Henry was his partner, and despite his current feelings at the moment, it hurt to see him this way.

"What?" Terriermon whined upon realizing Renamon was looking in his direction.

"I was just thinking," she replied.

"About what?" Terriermon asked as though she weren't going to tell him either way.

"I was just wondering why Jeri put herself in harm's way back in our reality."

"I'm guessing you already have a theory or two."

"I think she saw the other Takato's pain," Renamon explained. She didn't look at Terriermon as she spoke, instead keeping her gaze fixed on Henry as he walked down the stairs in front of them. "I think she looked at _both_ Takatos and didn't see them as two separate people. She likely just saw a friend in need and wanted to help."

"You're not very subtle," Terriermon stated, knowing full well what she was suggesting he do.

"I wasn't trying to be."

"And just because Guilmon thinks you're right about everything doesn't make it true. That mon worships the Matsuki's oven like it's a god, so his judgment is unreliable."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, Henry, wait up!" Terriermon called out as he ran after his partner's doppelganger. Despite a small part of him claiming he would regret going with him, he couldn't do nothing. Luck allowing, he might even be able to get some answers of his own.

* * *

Suzie dusted herself off as she stood up. As predicted, the journey to the Digital World had been simple enough. Their final landing had been rough, but stories from Henry and the others led to this being expected. Suzie instinctively went for D-Power and then berated herself for forgetting it would unlikely be able to detect Ryo's device.

She looked over the wasteland around her in attempt to decide on a direction, but was unable to see much. The storm going on around them was kicking up sand everywhere. She then looked back to Lopmon and the others, who were more-or-less in the same boat as she was.

"What happened here?" Lopmon asked almost distraughtly.

"What do you mean?" Suzie asked in reply.

"This place is in shambles. You can pretty much smell the disarray in the air."

"I don't know," Impmon chimed in. "Dis place has always looked like a dump ta me."

"No, there's something wrong here." The concern in Lopmon's voice was genuine, and Suzie knew that her partner would never lie or exaggerate on even the most trivial of matters. "Our Digital World has been showing signs of stabilization and growth over the years. This is almost the exact opposite."

Suzie pushed Lopmon's observations to the back of her mind. They could investigate them later if there was time. For now, they had a mission to complete.

"Do you guys have any idea where we should start?" Ai asked the two digimon.

"Ain't anybody here as far as I can tell," Impmon answered.

"There might be something in that direction," Lopmon said as she pointed a paw forward. "I won't be able to tell for certain until we get closer."

No one wasted anytime debating about what to do next. As the group moved in the direction that Lopmon had suggested, Suzie weighed the chances of them finding exactly who they were looking for this quickly. She didn't like the answer she got, so she decided to forget about probability until they found out how this lead panned out.

* * *

Terriermon inhaled as he entered the Wongs' apartment. While he didn't think there would be any drastic differences upon entering, he didn't want to be caught off guard if there were. To his relief, everything seemed very much the same as his actual home. It even smelled pretty much the same. This sense of relief wouldn't last, however.

Waiting for them were Henry's parents, and both of their stares immediately fell on Terriermon. In the end, Terriermon couldn't blame them, as he wasn't supposed to be here. He hopped off Henry's shoulder as they moved further into the apartment and tried to act casual. It had been agreed that he wouldn't divulge his true nature for the time being.

"Anybody miss me?" Terriermon asked, having decided that the best way to maintain his cover was to simply be himself.

"Of course," Mayumi, Henry's mother, began. "We just, uh…"

"We weren't expecting you so soon," Janyu, Henry's father, concluded. "Son, did you know about this?"

"It was a shock to me too," Henry answered, likely having decided that the best way to support a lie was with a bit of the truth.

"I come all the way from the Digital World to visit and you guys greet me with an interrogation," Terriermon complained. "Sheesh, talk about a warm welcome."

"We're just a little concerned," Janyu explained. "Are you feeling okay?"

"He's fine, Dad," Henry said quickly. "I'll run a few tests on him tonight and tell you what I find."

"See, nothing to worry about," Terriermon added. "Now if you'll all excuse us-" Terriermon's attempt to move towards Henry's room was stalled when he bumped into a pair of legs. Looking upward to find their owner, he found Suzie looking back down at him with a tilted head.

"Where's Lopmon?" she asked. Terriermon was caught a little off guard by this reality's version of Suzie. Her eyes seemed far more unburdened than those of the Suzie he was used to. She looked concerned, but that likely more about the absence of her partner than any past battles or losses she had been through.

"She's fine," Terriermon replied after a brief but noticeable pause. "She says she misses you and will be home as soon as she can."

Concern turned to skepticism as Suzie raised an eyebrow and kneeled down to look Terriermon in the eye. "You're hiding something?"

"What could I possibly be hiding from you?"

"I'm not sure." Suzie poked at Terriermon's nose with her finger and a mischievous grin on her face sent a chill down his spine. "But I have ways of finding out."

"We both know you've outgrown such crude and barbaric methods of torture." Terriermon didn't actually know this. His own Suzie had spent most of the last few years focusing on improving her abilities as a Tamer. Her change in interests was one of the reasons the two of them got along so well. Given how things diverged in this reality, he had no way of knowing if this was still the case.

"We'll see," Suzie said in a sing-song voice.

"We'll be in my room," Henry announced as he nudged Terriermon forward. "Call us when dinner's ready."

Henry's room was, again, identical to the counterpart Terriermon was accustomed to. Turning to what was his own corner of the room, he chuckled a bit upon laying eyes on the bed he had used for the last couple of years. The notion of he and Henry sharing a bed had become somewhat impractical as the latter grew larger and older. The boy's parents purchased what was essentially a dog's bed to remedy this. Terriermon remembered complaining about being treated like a house pet until something "more fitting" was purchased instead. What lay in front of him was still meant for a dog, but it was of a much higher quality than what he had started with.

"What do you think our first step should be?" Henry asked as he sat himself in front of his computer.

"For what?" Terriermon replied as he brought his thoughts back to the present.

"Your pick. We could start seeing what we could dig up about where Jeri is, or maybe there's something that can be done about those reality tears you told me about."

"I don't know." Terriermon paused for a second. It usually wasn't his job to consider the big picture, but they had been having an unusual week. "I bet Takato and Rika would want to get in touch with people back home."

"How are we going to do that?"

"We could always email."

"I was being serious, Terriermon."

"So was I." Terriermon leapt onto the desk so he could see the computer monitor. His Henry had helped to work out a way to send emails from universe to universe, and had even tried to explain the particulars to his friends. No one had really paid attention, but Terriermon remembered a couple of the key words. "Listen closely now…"

* * *

Rika was gradually adjusting to the fact that she was being led around an alternate version of her own home. Before even stepping through the front door, she and Takato had had to wait for Ruki to explain the situation to her grandmother. Seiko had been pretty speechless during introductions, though Rika was unsurprised by this. While her own grandmother had barely batted an eyelash upon meeting Renamon, this particular situation represented a whole new level of abnormal.

Dinner was eaten in relative silence. This reality's version of Rumiko was absent, off on one of her modeling jobs. Ruki took the first the chance she got to disappear, leaving Seiko to show Rika and Takato to the guest room.

"Well, here you are," Seiko said as she slid the door open. "I suppose you know where the bathroom is."

"Thank you," Rika replied, not really knowing what else to say. She wasn't even sure how she should address this version of her grandmother.

Seiko then looked towards Takato, who was looking into the room nervously. "If the two of you are uncomfortable sharing the same room, I sure we can figure something else out."

"N-No, it's fine," Rika stated before Takato had a chance to start running his mouth. "Takato only bites when I ask him to."

"Just so we're clear, she's only-" a flustered Takato began to protest before Rika shoved him into the room. In addition to her finding it amusing, his anxiety on certain matters often split his attention and made him easier to catch unaware.

"Good night," Rika added before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She leaned back against the door and inspected the room. It was large enough for what they needed. Guilmon definitely didn't have an issue with it, as he had already picked a spot on the floor and was snoring away.

"I guess he really can sleep anywhere," Takato commented as he fumbled through the contents of the room's closet.

"You should try taking a que from him." Rika pushed past him and effortlessly pulled out a pair of futons. "The world's not gonna fall apart if you relax for a second."

"Maybe…" Takato accepted one of the futons and unrolled it on the floor next to Guilmon. He was wound up too tight, and not just because of her teasing. Ruki's revelations were probably still bothering him.

Rika moved to the opposite side of the room, deciding not to torture him any more than she had to. "At least we know one thing?"

"What's that?"

"The nightmares you've been having aren't about _you_."

"I guess," Takato replied, not sounding particularly convinced.

"Don't do that." Rika walked across the room to him.

"Do what?" Takato stood up to face her.

"Let your guilty conscience take over. We have an answer that makes sense and you want to throw it away."

"Sorry, it's just…" Takato paused and looked away from her for a brief second. "I guess I'm not sure what to make of all this yet."

"Fine," Rika conceded. "Just think about what I said, will you?"

"I promise," Takato replied. The warm tone of his voice and the look in his eyes told her that he meant it. "So, what do you think of _your_ doppelganger?"

"She's full of crap," Rika snapped. Having not meant to so, she turned around and walked back to her futon and pretended like she was still straightening it out. "Standing there and acting like everyone else is responsible for everything bad that's happened. Let me tell you something, the mess she's in may not be her fault, but she for damn sure isn't-"

Rika stopped as she felt a hand laid itself on her back. Takato had followed her across the room without her realizing and was now kneeling at her side. "What happened to 'relaxing for a second'?" he asked.

She looked back at him and felt her frustration dissipate a bit. She wondered if he was fully aware of his ability to make her negative emotions fall away. As much as she hated to admit it, Rika hated it just a little bit. This was mainly because of the mix of feelings that usually resulted from Takato trying to make her feel better. Even now, Rika felt simultaneous feelings of comfort and discomfort that came from being this close to him. She ended up reacting the only way she knew how. She jabbed Takato in the side where he had been injured with one of her fists.

"'Not that deep,' huh?" Rika said as he clutched his side. "There's a first aid kit under the bathroom sink. Go clean that out."

"You got it, boss," Takato responded as he complied.

"And don't take too long."

Just as Takato exited the room, Renamon phased into view. "Don't you think you're sending him mixed messages?" she asked.

"Don't start that again."

"I'm just voicing my concerns. Jeri was right about one thing: we all work well together. I would hate to see that jeopardized by miscommunication."

"I just don't get it sometimes." Rika stood up and walked over to the door that Takato had left ajar. She checked to see if anyone was nearby before continuing. "Sometimes being around him is as easy as breathing, and other times I can't stand it."

"I believe your grandmother already gave her theory on the matter."

"You need to stop watching rom-coms with Mom."

"Maybe you're right," Renamon replied nonchalantly as she disappeared again.

Rika was about to push the thoughts away, but found herself choosing not to. Everything was quiet aside from Guilmon's snoring. Despite being full of people, the Nonaka household felt surprisingly empty. Rika allowed that to be the reason she let her mind drift towards the place everyone seemed to want it to go.

* * *

Jeri found herself unable to sleep despite having calmed down significantly since finding out what had become of her counterpart in this reality. What had set her off was less the fact of her double's fate and more the realization of how it must have happened. Jeri partially owed her own survival to the fact that Impmon and Calumon had helped convince that her own life was worth fighting for. Takato's earlier reactions told her that the Impmon of this universe was deceased and Calumon would have unlikely made it to the D-Reaper's core on his one. The other Jeri likely died scared and alone.

Jeri sat up slowly and looked around the room. Guilmon was silently asleep in the middle of the room. The lack of snoring once again made her miss the genuine article. Takato was still awake and was sitting on the floor by the window. He was looking out it and up at the night's sky, making Jeri wonder what he was thinking about.

 _He'd probably tell me if I asked_ , she thought. She wasn't sure if she should go over to him. While he had very much been the Takato she knew so far, the battle that ended with her arriving here had shown this was not entirely the case. There were also likely to be facts about the last couple of years he was keeping from her.

Deciding that she was just putting off the inevitable, Jeri walked across the room and sat herself a couple feet away from Takato. He smiled upon seeing her, though Jeri found that she was unable to smile back yet. There was still too much uncertainty for that.

"Can't sleep?" Takato asked.

Jeri shook her head. "I've got a lot on my mind," she explained.

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure you'll be back home before you know it."

"That's not the only thing that's bothering me."

Takato tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"What's _really_ going on around here, Takato?" Jeri tried to speak softly and calmly. She didn't want to seem like she was angry with him. "Terriermon saw the two of you kill a wild digimon and load its data a couple nights ago. The first part I can understand, but the Takato I know would never load data so casually."

"A lot's changed since the D-Reaper." Takato looked away from her as he spoke. "I've had to do a couple things that I wish I could take back."

"Then why keep doing it?"

"Because we gave Impmon every chance to change who he was but he always threw those chances back in our faces. There are certain digimon that need to be stopped. I won't let anyone else end up like you and Leomon."

Jeri's first instinct was to explain that Impmon _had_ changed, but she ended up holding her tongue. Explaining the exact circumstances of her rescue from the D-Reaper also meant explaining to Takato that his Jeri's death was his own fault somewhat. That revelation, if he had not begun to work it out himself already, could potentially destroy him.

"I don't _want_ to kill anyone," Takato continued. "You know that better than anyone, but I have to protect the people who are left."

The conviction in his voice and eyes got to Jeri, partly because it was not as unfamiliar as she wanted it to be. Her mind went back to the moments after she had lost Leomon, when Takato unleashed Megidramon on an unsuspecting Beelzemon. Much like now, she had been scared of what Takato had become.

Jeri paused to reconsider her first reaction. Looking back, Takato had been probably been more afraid of Megidramon than the rest of them because of what he represented. Yet Jeri had pushed him away after it happened, essentially calling Takato a monster that she wanted nothing to do with. She had since apologized, with Takato going as far as to explain that she had been hurting and there was nothing to forgive. Still, Jeri had never been able to quite let herself off the hook.

"I understand," Jeri finally said, now with her own sense of conviction. In her world, things had managed to work themselves out in the end. With that obviously not being the case here, Jeri refused to let the past repeat itself. While the Takato sitting next to her was not the one she had been friends with for years, she was not going to let him suffer if there was something she could do about it. She just had to figure out how best to help him.


	9. Just Another Day

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Just Another Day**

Even as Takato managed to wake himself up, certain images remained in his head. A city on fire, for starters, and a loan figure standing atop a ruined skyscraper. This figure had not been the dark, corrupted knight that Takato expected it to be, but a single human being. Takato shook his head to rid the image from his mind. He didn't need reminding of who this person was.

Takato quickly realized that his actions were not going unnoticed. Both Rika and Guilmon were looking at him with obvious concern. Takato stood right up and tried to act like nothing was wrong, but this seemed to have little success.

"Takato…" Guilmon said as he stood up himself. He seemed to have just woken up himself, likely because of the way Takato had awoken.

"I'm fine, boy," Takato replied as he rolled up his futon. He tried to smile as he made his way over to the room's closet. He looked over to Rika. "It's just my guilty conscience, right?"

"Right," Rika agreed, though the tone in her voice seemed to indicate that she saw through his fake confidence. She walked over to him and pulled the futon from his hands and placed it neatly in its proper place. She likely had been awake for a little while now, and seemed like she was already ready to start the day.

"Is something wrong?" Takato couldn't figure out why he insisted on digging himself in deeper. He didn't lie to Rika often, but she could always tell when he did.

"Nothing." Her tone said otherwise. She crossed her arms and looked him in the eye. "I was just wondering what you saw."

"What for?"

"I just figured you wouldn't mind sharing. You know, since you're fine and all."

"It was just more of the same." Takato couldn't help but feel a bit defeated. The fact was that his own track record kept him from being positive that it was someone else's life he was seeing. "The only difference was that I saw me, or _him_ , I guess."

"Did he have a goatee?"

"W-What?"

"Or a weird facemask? I can't decide which would suit Darth Goggle-head more." It took Takato a couple seconds to realize that Rika's tone had changed. She was obviously enjoying herself a little bit. "Did he monologue about his evil plans?"

"Would you st-stop? Th-This isn't funny." Takato _had_ actually started laughing at this point.

"I bet it was along the lines of 'You'll never be able to stop my diabolical death ray'." Rika pointed her arm at him dramatically and she spoke. "I'm sure he wants to destroy all the orphanages and animal shelters."

"Okay, you've made your point." Takato took hold of her hand and gently pushed it down.

"Look," Rika said, her tone becoming serious again. "I _want_ you to get over these nightmares, but that doesn't mean I want you to pretend they don't bother you. It's like you said in the park yesterday: I want you to know you can trust me."

"Does that mean no more double standards?" The point of that conversation had been about _her_ opening up more and him proving that he was there for her.

Rika paused for a beat before answering. "I'm not sure, but I'm willing to give it a try."

Renamon materialized next to Guilmon, effectively ending the conversation. "Glad that's all sorted out," she remarked.

"I can see you're excited about that." Rika finally removed her hand from Takato's.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Renamon teased. "You're usually not in this good a mood in the morning. Maybe Takato should spend the night more often." Takato suddenly found breathing a bit more difficult and he reflexively looked away from Rika. The kitsune hadn't likely meant the comment as an innuendo, but that didn't keep _his_ mind from going there.

"We could invite everyone and make it a big sleepover," Guilmon added happily. He then paused as though he were contemplating what he said. "Well, maybe not everyone. Kazu and Kenta would probably just make Rika mad, and then there'd be no point."

"Yeah, let me know when you figure out the guest list out, Dino-boy," Rika instructed sarcastically. She was likely more focused on not getting mad at the moment. "Can everyone just focus on getting ready? The sooner we find Jeri, the sooner we can go home."

"Sounds like a plan," Takato said as he moved for the door. As he made his way to bathroom, he wanted to pretend that everything would go as planned. With that said, he now had a growing concern about "diabolical death rays."

* * *

Jeri took a deep breath as she exited through the bakery's side entrance. Much like the day before, it looked like they were in for a beautiful day weather wise. She waited a couple minutes for the alternate versions of Takato and Guilmon to join her. The former had been understandably hesitant about traveling around in broad daylight, but was also set on keeping his word.

Looking over at the street from her spot in the alley, Jeri was wondering if she should have similar reservations. The city was a big place, but that didn't mean there was no chance of her being recognized. She realized she had forgotten to ask whether or not her family's restaurant was still open. She had no desire to cause any more pain for them.

Before her worries could go any further, Takato and Guilmon exited the bakery. They both took a quick glance at their surroundings and then looked at each other. Without a sound exchanged between them, Guilmon made his way further into the alley and was soon out of sight.

"Where's he going?" Jeri asked.

"Nowhere far," Takato answered. "He's actually gotten pretty good at staying out of sight. Don't worry, he'll be nearby if we need him."

Jeri wasn't sure if that made her feel better, but decided it wasn't the issue at the moment. She turned back to Takato, who was looking at her with a confused look on his face. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"I'm just surprised you're still here."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you looked like you didn't want to be here last night." Takato turned away from her and looked at the street. "You could have left just a couple minutes ago if you wanted to."

"You're right," Jeri confessed. Now it was her turn to turn away from him. "I was scared last night and wanted to go home. I _still_ want to go home."

"So, where should we start?"

"The tears open randomly, or at least we think they do." Jeri made an effort to sound less somber and more energetic. There was no point in kicking Takato for a mistake he made. "Why not start with the park?"

"Why there?" Confusion returned to Takato's face.

"Seems like as good a place as any to me." The truth was that Jeri figured it was where they had the best chance of running into the other Tamers of this reality. Her hope was that Takato could start to move on with his life if he confronted his past. Jeri admitted this was a cliché notion, but it seemed like her best bet at the moment.

"If you say so." A warm smile came to Takato's face, one that seemed to scream that he would follow her anywhere. Jeri turned away from him yet again, now feeling a bit guilty. She was familiar with this look, but only because the Takato from her reality had the same look on his face whenever he was around Rika. Jeri couldn't help but wonder if part of the reason she was doing this was because of some kind of deep-seeded jealousy. In the end, she decided to deal with her own issues later and made her way out of the alley.

* * *

Henry missed the button to call the elevator the first time he reached for it. Yamaki had basically ordered him to return home the previous night, having told him to get some rest and they could resume work in the morning. Not that going home had really helped, as he had been mostly unable to sleep. Being worried about Terriermon, Suzie, and the rest of his friends had kept him from doing so, and now the exhaustion was catching up with him. With a deep breath, he reached out and managed to hit the button.

As he rode the elevator up, he checked his cellphone. Waiting for him was a message from Kazu, asking for an update once Hypnos had a solid lead on the others. He and Kenta had not taken the news about the others well, which had likely been a mixture of worry and disappointment that they were currently on the sidelines. Relating to both sentiments somewhat, Henry sent a quick reply saying he would do his best to keep them posted.

Exiting the elevator, Henry found himself questioning whether or not doing so would make a difference. As much as he would like to go after the others himself, there were too many variables currently impeding his progress. He was hoping to sort some of those out in the coming hours.

Henry sat himself down in his empty cubicle. Alice wasn't scheduled to arrive for another half hour, which meant he had the space to himself for the next twenty minutes. He bent down to turn the computer in front of him on, but was startled when he brought his attention upward and found someone waiting for him.

"Sorry, Yamaki asked me to come check on you," Riley said, smiling apologetically.

"It's okay," Henry replied. He wondered if Yamaki had been monitoring security at the front desk or just knew he would arrive early. "How are things going?"

"Two more tears opened last night. One opened harmlessly on a street corner for a few seconds, and the other opened in the middle of a convenience store. Trashed the place when it did and ended up staying open for a few minutes afterward."

"So energy output _is_ directly related to how long they say open." That meant it was possible to determine which were viable options when it came to travel. They just needed a large enough one to open in a convenient enough location.

"We need you looking at the previous occurrences," Riley explained. "We still can't determine if there's any pattern to where and when the tears open, but maybe there're some early warning signs we're missing."

"How much of the staff is working on this?" Henry asked. Technically, that wasn't any of his concern, but he felt the need to ask anyway. If nothing else, it might put his mind at ease some knowing how many people were trying to help his friends.

To Riley's credit, she seemed to understand that. Her mouth formed a reassuring smile. "We're reallocating people little by little. We still have to monitor for digital activity, so we are a bit limited right now. I imagine that might change if things keep escalating, though."

Henry nodded and turned away from her for a second. There wasn't really anything more he could ask for. "I'll get right to work then."

"Stay strong, Henry." He turned his attention back to Riley, who was still trying to maintain reassurance. "We'll have this sorted out soon."

As Riley departed, Henry refocused on his computer. Before he started his assigned duties, however, he decided to check his email. He ended up being grateful that he did, as the first message in his inbox had a subject line that read "Moumantai."

* * *

Terriermon rolled off his bed and onto the floor. As he stood himself up, he found himself a little thrown off by his surroundings. The familiarity of it all made it easy to forget that he was currently residing in an alternate reality. Case in point, this reality's Henry was currently sitting in front of his computer much like Terriermon's actual partner.

Terriermon slowly made his way over to the desk, wondering if the boy had slept at all. They had spent a lot of the night trying to figure out how to get the interdimensional email system to work. They had been simultaneously hindered by Terriermon's lack of knowledge on the subject and helped by the fact Henry was able to use a lot of guesswork as his own counterpart had worked on it. They had both agreed to call it quits for the night when they ended up successfully sending an email.

Henry took notice of Terriermon just as he pulled himself onto the desk. He minimized what was on the screen, which looked to Terriermon like news articles and blurry photos. Terriermon didn't give them a second thought, as Henry likely had something more he considered more important to talk about first.

"Any luck?" Terriermon asked groggily.

"Some," Henry replied. He opened another window on the computer. "We got a reply email from… me."

"Well, it's about time." Terriermon skimmed through the email in front of him. The original message they had sent home had said that everyone was fine and looking for Jeri. The reply basically just said everyone was glad to hear that and that Hypnos was currently looking for a way of bringing them all back. Terriermon shook his head after reading the last part.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't this good news?"

"Oh, it's _great_ news," Terriermon answered as sarcastically as he could. "You know, because things worked out so well the last time Hypnos tried to solve one of our problems for us."

Henry was silent for a beat, not needing to confirm that Terriermon was referring to Juggernaut. "I guess it's just a concession that we're going to have to make."

"This coming from the guy who wouldn't even look at his dad after we defeated the D-Reaper."

"Are you mad at Hypnos or me?"

"Yes!" Terriermon felt some regret about snapping, as it was his actual partner that he was frustrated with. His actual partner, however, was not present at the moment.

Despite Terriermon's demeanor, Henry kept his attention on him. "Maybe you should start at the beginning."

"Not gonna happen." Terriermon crossed his arms and turned away. "We've already had this conversation and it didn't help."

"And let me guess; you gave him the 'Terriermon version' of what was bothering you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Terriermon returned his attention to his partner's double.

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose. "Terriermon, you talk a lot. You have no problem saying what's on your mind, but that doesn't mean you always say the right thing."

"Okay, Mr. Expert, what was the right thing to say?"

"You might have explained _what_ was bothering you, but I doubt you explained _why_ it was bothering you."

"Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that would of made a difference?"

Henry stayed quiet, with his face forming a frown that usually meant he had an answer that he knew someone wouldn't like. The truth was that Terriermon knew his partner well enough to know when he made up his mind. Be it at Hypnos or at his own computer desk, Henry was determined to fix things that he saw as problems. While he was sensitive to other peoples' problems more often than not, he still found it difficult to change his mind once he decided on a course of action.

"That's what I thought," Terriermon continued. "Well, at least you've never lied to me."

"Well, yeah," Henry replied, frown turning into a small smile. "You'd get a big head if I always told you what you wanted to hear. Well, you'd get an even _bigger_ head, anyway."

"Asshole."

"Hey, moumantai."

The two of them shared a laugh before falling silent for a few seconds. Even here, speaking with a Henry that wasn't his partner, Terriermon was reminded of the unique bond they shared. He doubted his own Henry had forgotten about it, but that thought almost made him feel worse about the growing rift between them. It was like he was being deliberately cut off.

"I feel useless," Terriermon said finally. "My power comes from us working as a team. When your Takato came over to our world, I had to watch the entire fight because my partner was missing. I'm wondering if I even have a purpose without him."

"Do you know who might need to hear that?" Henry replied as he gestured to the computer.

Terriermon looked at the screen and considered sending a reply to the email. "No, we gotta get going. Takato and Rika are gonna wanna start looking for Jeri as soon as possible."

"About that…" Henry reopened the windows he had been looking at when Terriermon had first woken up. News articles and low resolution photographs all seeming to depict this reality's Takato and Guilmon. "I've been doing some digging on where we should start looking."

"Find anything useful?"

"Not particularly. These take place all over Shinjuku. He basically shows up wherever a wild digimon bio-emerges."

"Then why bring these up?" Terriermon scratched his head, a little more eager to leave this screen behind than before.

"At first, I didn't think I'd found any new information, but then I started reading between the lines."

"I don't see any…" Terriermon trailed off as he finally took notice of the theme in front of him. Each article and picture was time-stamped, and Henry had conveniently laid them out in chronological order. The timeline showed Takato and Guilmon being consistently active for the last year. "This can't be right."

"I double-checked everything," Henry assured him. "I have no idea what the two of them have been through over the last couple years, but the data doesn't lie. Guilmon's no longer being affected by Juggernaut."

* * *

A sense of déjà vu came over Takato as he sat in the Nonaka's backyard. This feeling wasn't a sentimental one, however, as it harkened back to his very first visit to Rika's home rather than the countless times he visited afterwards. Like that time, he could feel the glare of a particular redhead who obviously wanted nothing more than for him to leave.

Ruki, who was sitting removed from him and Rika, was making no attempt to hide how she felt at this particular moment. The only consolation that Takato had on the whole matter was that Rika seemed just as put off about being around her own doppelganger. She still hadn't been specific about what had been bothering her since meeting Ruki, but Takato knew that this would bubble to the service eventually.

The digimon seemed a bit more at ease. Both Renamon stood at attention, quietly awaiting the group to come to a consensus on how they would proceed. The fact that the kitsune hadn't changed much from one reality to the other wasn't really a surprise to Takato, as her priority had always been standing by her partner.

That left only Guilmon, who wandering around the yard and sniffing the grass. Takato's partner never did pay complete attention to the Tamers' meetings, but that did not necessarily mean that he was not listening. Guilmon simply knew that thinking and planning didn't play to his strengths and he should leave those duties to his friends. Still, he did often manage to surprise them by occasionally contributing to the conversation.

"So, you have no leads we can work with?" Takato asked the Renamon he was more familiar with, mostly to break the silence.

"Not at the moment," Renamon answered. "Your counterpart is still hiding himself."

"What I don't get is why he's hiding to begin with," Rika said.

"He's afraid," Guilmon stated without looking up at them. "I smelled it when we were fighting yesterday."

"Yeah, but afraid of what?" Guilmon turned to Rika as she asked the question and shrugged.

"He's afraid of people seeing what he's become," Takato explained. He couldn't guess exactly what his double was thinking, but he knew how he would react being in his shoes.

"Can't really blame him," Ruki commented. Rika looked as though she were about to protest, but Takato managed to catch her attention and shake his head. It didn't feel worth it to argue at this point.

"We might be better off trying to figure out where he _will_ be," Renamon suggested. "Even with the differences between you two, I'm sure there are plenty of locations that you've both frequented."

"It would also be worth it to watch for bio-emergences," Ruki's Renamon added. "He's almost guaranteed to appear should one occur."

"Then let's start looking," Ruki said impatiently as she stood up. "The faster we find Jeri, the faster this all can all come to an end."

"Alright then," Takato replied.

"No way." Ruki stopped cold as Takato stood up, her glare a bit stronger now.

"What's wrong now?" Takato noticed Rika stand up as well, obviously debating whether or not to get involved.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Ruki spoke slowly and clearly, the way Rika did when she was angry and wanted to make something quick and concise.

"Is this really the right time for this?" Takato took a step closer to her, a little angry that she was fighting with him like this. "Look, Jeri might be in trouble. I know you're mad at me, but-"

"Mad at you?" Ruki snapped. She closed the distance between them. "I don't know how well you _think_ you know me, but let's get one thing clear: I'm well beyond being 'mad at you'."

"So you're just going to refuse to work with me?"

Were Takato arguing with Rika, this would likely be the part where she blew up at him. Ruki was showing the signs that he usually associated with this, so this is what he expected to happen. Instead, she collected herself and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I don't trust you," Ruki declared.

Takato found that he couldn't bring himself to keep arguing after the declaration. She meant what she said. Her tone and demeanor confirmed it. The words dug at him in a way he knew they shouldn't. After all, this wasn't his best friend he was talking to, but an alternate version of her that was living a different life. Still, the idea that there was any version of Rika that thought so lowly of him hurt a bit.

In the end, however, what actually kept Takato from fighting back was his finally noticing a difference between the two redheads. It was their eyes. Takato knew Rika's eyes, partially because he was more frequently finding himself getting lost in them. As he looked into Ruki's eyes, he immediately could tell something was missing.

As far as color and shape were concerned, the two sets were identical. From the day he first met Rika, however, her eyes showed a fire and drive that he had never seen in anyone else. Said fire and drive only disappeared one time he could remember: in the weeks following the defeat of IceDevimon. It was a time when Rika felt used and betrayed to an extent that she almost gave up on the one thing she loved doing most of all.

"Okay," Takato conceded, not really knowing what else to say. He simply stepped aside and allowed Ruki to pass.

"Takato…" Rika said softly as she tried to approach him. Seeing the concern on her face made him feel a bit better, but not enough to change his mind.

"It's fine. I don't want to get in the way. I'll catch up later." Rika acknowledged his promise with nod and left after her double.

Takato watched her leave, and didn't turn his head from that direction until he felt Guilmon's snout brush against his arm. Takato simply patted the top of his partner's head, as it was apparent that neither of them had anything else to say at the moment. For the second time that morning, Takato tried to assure himself that everything was going to work out.

* * *

 _For anyone who noticed and cares, I decided to switch the story category from "Adventure" to "Scifi." It felt more appropriate given the subject matter and how the story itself is panning out._


	10. Those Left Behind

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Those Left Behind**

Rika tore out of the Nonaka residence with no intention of letting what had just occurred slide. Her doppelganger had to answer for hurting one of her closest friends. While Takato had tried his best to hide how he felt immediately following his argument with Ruki, Rika knew him too well to fall for the act.

She turned a street corner, knowing exactly which direction Ruki had gone. Sure enough, she was taking her time walking towards the subway station that Rika had always favored. At the moment, Ruki was either unaware of or indifferent to Rika's presence.

"Hey!" Rika called out angrily. Ruki turned her head, but didn't bother to stop walking. Rika was not going to let that deter her, so she ran until she was walking next to her double. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Don't you think that's a weird question coming from you?" Ruki asked in reply. She definitely wasn't interested in having a discussion.

"Don't try to be cute." Rika took hold of Ruki's arm, causing them both to stop advancing. "You had no right to treat him like that!"

"You're making a scene," Ruki growled as she pulled her arm free.

"You think I give a crap?" Rika asked, matching her counterpart's tone.

"You should; we shouldn't be spotted together." Ruki's reasoning fell a bit flat with Rika, as she knew it was just an excuse she made up so she could be left alone.

"Anyone who sees us will just think they're looking at two sisters fighting," Rika argued.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stop treating my friends like garbage, for starters." Ruki rolled her eyes and tried to keep walking, but Rika stepped into her path. "More importantly, I want you to take a look at yourself and try to figure out how to fix things, because I _know_ that you're not happy with the way things are."

"You don't know anything."

" _Really_? So you're perfectly fine with the fact that fact that Mom can't stand being around the house anymore."

Ruki's eyes widened, telling Rika she had found a soft spot. Not that this surprised Rika, as it was something that she had been sitting with since arriving at her counterpart's home the previous night. Ruki's mother was away working while her own was home at the moment. Rika knew this wasn't a coincidence, but a reflection of the way things were in this reality.

"You'd better shut up while you're ahead," Ruki breathed.

"I suppose it's her fault too," Rika continued, ignoring her double's warning. "How could she _not_ enjoy being home when her own daughter will barely look at her? I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that you probably treat her the same way you did Takato."

Rika probably could have kept ranting, but had a hard time keeping her train of thought after a fist collided with her left cheek. Rika nearly toppled over, probably only staying upright due to adrenaline. Were she in a different state of mind, she probably would have admitted that she deserved what she got. Instead, Rika let her instincts take over and drove one of her own fists into the same spot on Ruki's face.

Ruki staggered backwards in an almost identical fashion. She held a hand to her cheek, which Rika knew to be throbbing a bit at the moment. Ruki breathed steadily, not likely to throw another punch. The scowl on her face, however, told Rika that she was not yet ready to stop fighting.

"You really think you're something special, don't you?" Ruki yelled, her voice shaking a bit. "Just because your friends haven't abandoned you yet."

Rika hesitated for a beat. Her doppelganger's words echoed those of a dark voice that occasionally emerged from the back of her mind. Rika knew that she was not the easiest person to be around and stilled lived with the fear that her friends would grow tired of dealing with her. More recently, that voice had been quieter, but still present.

Looking straight at her double, Rika replied to the declaration the same way she always did. "They'd never do that," she declared with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Give them time," Ruki replied. "It took Dad four years, remember?"

"At least I didn't abandon _them_!"

"Is that what you think happened?"

"I know exactly what happened." Rika's tone softened a bit. "You cut yourself off from everyone else. Takato and Jeri weren't around for you to talk to, and you couldn't bring yourself to talk to Henry. He was just a constant reminder that Renamon was gone."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ruki looked away from her. Rika was not an expert on reading her own expressions, but she could tell that a lot of mixed emotions were bubbling to the surface. Despite this, Ruki was still trying to disregard everything being said. "It's all on me."

"It's okay for you to feel hurt, but you let that turn into self-pity. Turns out it's a lot easier to just blame others than deal with your problems. As long as there's something wrong with them, you don't have to consider the possibility that there could be something wrong with you."

Ruki turned her attention to Rika again but didn't speak. Not that Rika could blame her. She had spent the better part of three years bottling everything up. The last think she had expected to happen was for someone who knew almost everything about her to come along. Ruki didn't know how to cope, so it didn't surprise Rika when she turned around and kept walking.

"Well, that was interesting," Renamon said casually as she materialized next to Rika.

"But not surprising?" Rika replied.

"I'll admit that I wasn't sure which of you would end up throwing the first punch." Renamon turned her attention in the direction Ruki had left in. "Do you want to give her space to calm down?"

Rika considered the question, knowing that that would be exactly what _she_ would want. Of course, she could think of a few occasions of that not being what she had _needed_. There was also the issue of them possibly being short on time.

"No," Rika answered finally. She set off after her double, reminding herself that being persistent was how Jeri got the reactions she wanted from her friends.

* * *

Sitting in front of his computer monitor, Henry couldn't help but feel as though he was banging his head against a wall. Having gone over all information on the previously opened tears, as well as data on a couple more that had opened in the hours since his arrival at Hypnos, he wasn't finding anything that could connect the differing locations.

Henry was tempted hit something or yell, but decided against it. Venting his frustration would likely catch Alice's attention, and he wasn't interested in reliving any previous arguments from when he had accidently distracted her in the past. Instead, he settled for burying his face in his hands and sighing as quietly as he could.

He felt very much the same way he did when trying to reverse the effects of Juggernaut: powerless and ineffective. On the bright side, Henry at least knew that it wasn't bureaucracy that was keeping him from figuring out how to predict and fix the reality tears. His mind wandered back to when the Tamers had first been reunited with their partners.

When the deteriorative effects of Juggernaut had first come to light, it had been assumed by all that Hypnos could develop a cure. At the end of the day, however, Hypnos still had to answer to the government. Despite the digimons' role in combatting the D-Reaper, many of the powers-that-be still felt that the digimon were a threat in their own right. Hypnos was pressured into focusing its resources into preventing new threats from emerging rather than providing a means for digimon to take up permanent residence in the Real World.

In the end, it was Yamaki's handling of the situation that kept emotions amongst the Tamers from running high. The existence of the portal under Guilmon's shed was kept off the record to prevent the government from trying to literally bury it. Yamaki also made no attempts to dissuade Henry and the others from trying to find their own cure. Henry even suspected that his recent position within Hypnos was at least partially to help him solve the problem faster.

When it came to the tears, however, silent encouragement was not going to be of much use. Henry stared at the monitor again and tried to think of a different angle he hadn't thought of yet. His thoughts ended up being interrupted when a hand came into view and switched the monitor off.

"Break time," Alice stated when Henry looked up at her.

Henry reflexively looked at his watch. He wasn't sure what the exact time was. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Positive," Alice answered as she turned away from him and left their work space. "Let's go."

Henry was a bit surprised by her determination to get him to leave. It seemed a bit out of character for her, which made Henry wonder how obvious his distress was at the moment. He conceded that Alice would have no problem telling him, so he stood up and followed her out.

* * *

Since Rika's departure, Takato had spent the majority of his time wandering back and forth between the Nonakas' backyard and kitchen. At the moment, he found himself in the latter listening to Guilmon tell Seiko about how things were in their reality. Takato wasn't quite sure if Seiko was actually interested in the topic of discussion, but she listened none-the-less in very much the same way the Seiko he was more familiar with would. Guilmon was currently in the middle of retelling the story of the "Locomon incident" from a couple years ago.

"And then I knocked that bug right off her back!" Guilmon relayed excitedly, swiping a claw at the air in front of him.

"That was very brave of you," Seiko replied, very much as though she was speaking to a child.

"Not very smart, though." Guilmon calmed down and scratched the back of his head. "Rika almost fell off the train. If Takato hadn't dived after her, she'd have gone 'splat'."

"Takato must care a great deal for Rika."

"Well, yeah," Takato said nervously, having not been ready to be brought into the conversation. He looked to Guilmon, who looked back innocently. He wondered if his partner was purposely telling this story to cast him in a better light. "I care about all my friends."

"But at the end of a battle, you're most relieved when you find out Rika is okay." Seiko looked at him knowingly, causing him to shift uncomfortably.

"Every time," Guilmon chimed in.

"Guilmon!" Takato yelled as he felt his face start to heat up.

"Sorry…"

"I take it that you haven't told her how you feel," Seiko said.

"I don't know how," Takato confessed without thinking.

Seiko nodded. "Well, you've still got plenty of time to figure that out. If it helps, I've never seen Ruki be as comfortable around another human being as Rika is with you."

"So, you're okay with…" Takato paused for a beat, unsure how to verbalize his question. "…the way I feel?"

Seiko's expression changed, with her now looking confused, and possibly a bit sad. "I'm honestly not sure if I'm allowed to have an opinion on the matter."

"What about the Takato from this world? What do think of him?"

"I'm not sure." Seiko looked away from Takato and out a nearby window. "He hurt Ruki, whether he intended to or not."

"So you blame him for how Ruki's changed?" Takato could hardly blame _her_ for believing that, as all evidence he had seen suggested that it was true.

"I'm not sure how to answer that." Seiko turned her attention back to him. "How did you react when you found out Jeri had been taken by the D-Reaper?"

Takato was a bit surprised by the question, but knew exactly how to answer it. "I swore on my life that I'd get her back."

"I imagine the other you reacted the same. He made a promise, one that he was ultimately unable to keep. After breaking a promise like that, I imagine everything else seems a lot less important."

"That's no excuse for leaving your friends behind." Takato found himself clenching his fists together as he spoke.

Seiko didn't seem to have a response, which Takato took as a sign that she agreed with him. The room was silent until they heard the chime of the Nonakas' doorbell.

"Let me see who that is," Seiko said. She stood up leave, but stopped to address Takato one more time. "I support my granddaughter in many things, but I don't believe you can be held accountable for your counterpart's actions."

Takato only managed to nod as Seiko left the room. Her sentiments echoed what Rika had tried to tell him the previous night. Takato wanted to agree with them, as he had literally no control of over what occurred in this universe. Still, he and his counterpart were, in a sense, one and the same. Who was to say that Takato wouldn't find himself going down a similar path?

* * *

"Would you calm down already?" an irritated Terriermon asked his partner's alternate-reality counterpart. The pair of them were standing outside the Nonakas' front gate, having just been greeted by Seiko. At the moment, they were waiting on Takato and Guilmon.

"Don't you mean 'moumantai'?" Henry replied as he paced back and forth. Terriermon knew that he was nervous, and not just because of the awkward exchange with Ruki's grandmother. This would be the first time Henry would be seeing Takato in years. Even though the Takato in question came from a different reality, it still seemed like the meeting was getting to him.

"Whatever, just stop getting worked up over nothing. I bet Takato isn't acting this way right now."

"You're probably right." Henry paused for a tick and looked down at Terriermon. "Should we tell them about the other Guilmon?"

"I guess we can." They had not ended up relaying the information about a possible Juggernaut cure back to Hypnos. Henry had not been sure what to do with the information, and Terriermon doubted his actual partner would be any different. There was also the fact that their priority was finding Jeri and trying to stop the tears from opening.

Terriermon also wasn't sure why this was his decision to make. He was about to ask if meeting Takato was really weighing on Henry that much until the Tamer in question emerged through the front door.

"Hey, guys," Takato said without hesitation. Knowing him, he was trying not to treat this Henry any differently than the one he was actually friends with.

"Hey… dude," Henry replied.

"Seriously?" Terriermon asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you want to ask him 'how's it hangin' too?"

"It slipped out. Besides, it's not like I can say 'it's been a while.' Technically, we've never met."

"Also, we just saw our Henry yesterday," Guilmon added. "So…"

"Yeah, I get it," Terriermon snapped back. " _Everything_ about this is awkward."

"Maybe the best thing we can do is not think too much about it," Takato suggested. He had more experience than anyone with awkward conversations and situations, so he knew a little about navigating them. "What do you say we get started?"

"What's the plan?" Henry asked.

"We decided that watching out for bio-emergences would be our best bet for finding the other me," Takato explained. "We could also try looking into other places he might go."

"Where's everyone else?" Terriermon asked. The Nonaka household had seemed pretty quiet considering the number of people and digimon that were supposed to be present.

"Well, Rika and Ruki are already started looking."

"And the kids?"

"That's… a whole other story."

"I bet you'll get plenty of time to tell it," Henry said. He seemed to a little more at ease. "Before we go, what should we do about…?" Henry gestured towards Guilmon. The saurian had always been their biggest hindrance when trying to keep a low profile.

"I guess we could just chance it like we used to." Takato sounded a bit unsure. He crossed his arms and looked his partner up and down. "Or maybe we could ask Ruki's grandmother if she's got any cardboard boxes lying around."

The two Tamers exchanged a brief laugh. Terriermon thought of a couple suggestions, but found himself holding his tongue for once. Not so much because he knew what he said wouldn't be taken seriously, but because it was a decision that he didn't feel like making.

* * *

Traversing the Digital World had proven to be a more difficult task than Suzie had anticipated. The sandstorm that they had arrived in the middle of forced them to take shelter in the first cave that they came across. It took a while, but the storm did die down and they were allowed to continue their journey through the barren wasteland.

Suzie was currently at the front of the group, with Lopmon atop her head. Ai, Mako, and Impmon followed close behind, each coping with the journey in their own way. Ai poked at the buttons on her D-Power despite the device not being of use at the moment. Mako shuffled through his modify cards, something he always did when he was bored. Impmon, whether out of nervousness for leaving Jeri behind or simple boredom, was trying to keep himself entertained, with Lopmon being his unfortunate victim.

"I spy wit my little eye, somethin' dat begins wit…" Impmon said, pausing to inspect his surroundings.

"Dirt," Lopmon finished for him unenthusiastically.

"Sheesh, give a mon a chance ta finish. Ya'd think ya didn't wanna play the game."

"That's what I've been trying to say," Lopmon replied quietly.

"That didn't stop you from caving," Suzie chimed in. "You've gotta stick to your guns, Lop. It's okay to say 'no' once in a while."

"So, you're saying I should be more like you or Terriermon?"

"On occasion," Suzie said with a laugh. A running joke back home involved asking Henry and her father if it was possible to switch partners, as Lopmon seemed to have more in common with Henry when it came to personalities. A common retort was that Suzie and Terriermon as partners seemed like a recipe for chaos.

Suzie stopped walking, realizing that it felt like a while since she had laughed out loud. Her momentary pause seemed to worry the rest of the group.

"What's wrong, Suzie?" Ai asked.

"Nothing," Suzie answered quickly. "I was just wondering how much farther we have to go."

"It's strange," Lopmon said as she looked around. "By now we should have-"

A trio of explosions interrupted her line of thought. Regaining her senses as quickly as she could, Suzie looked around them and quickly found the source of the explosions. Three horned digimon had burst from the ground and surrounded them. What was worse was the fact that Suzie recognized them. They were Diaboromon, dangerous Mega-level digimon.

"What do we have here?" one of them asked in a gravelly voice.

"His form may have changed, but I'd recognize his scent anywhere," a second said. It took Suzie a couple seconds to realize their stares were directed at Impmon.

"I think you guys got me confused wit someone else," Impmon said, trying to sound reasonable.

"What did you do?" Lopmon asked.

" _I_ didn't do a damn thing!" Impmon paused and looked at their assailants again. "But da me from dis reality may have butchered all their friends."

"Naturally…"

"Hey, cut me some slack. It was a long time ago."

"Silence!" the first Diaboromon called out. "We will load your data and reclaim the remains of our hive." The three moved into attack position.

"Digivolve, now!" Suzie ordered. She slashed a blue card through her D-Power and soon found herself in Antylamon's grasp as they dodged incoming attacks. The giant rabbit digimon eventually set her down before turning around to face the three Megas.

Suzie turned to her left and saw Beelzemon, now in his Blast Mode, set down Ai and Mako. He seemed angry, which wasn't much of a surprise to Suzie. His regrets about the past didn't extend far enough that he would allow harm to come to his partners. Beelzemon stuck out his right arm and allowed it to morph into his "Corona Blaster."

"Yous wanna play rough, huh?" he growled. He targeted one of the Diaboromon that had leapt towards them, opening fire and knocking him off course. Beelzemon then flew forward, tackling another as he tried to attack.

That left the third for Antylamon to deal with. Suzie quickly activated her D-Power and began looking through her enemy's attacks. They were at a disadvantage and she needed to find a way to change that.

"He's got a lot of ranged attacks, Antylamon," Suzie pointed out. "Try getting in close."

"You got it," Antylamon confirmed. She leapt into the air and tried to bring one of her axes down on her target. The Diaboromon dodged by propelling himself backwards. Antylamon pursued for a follow up attack, but her opponent proved more than fast enough to keep out of her reach. He was soon in a position to counterattack.

"CABLE CRUSHER!"

One of the Diaboromon's arms extended and shot towards Antylamon. The attack hit dead-on and knocked the Ultimate backwards. Suzie immediately felt the feedback from the attack, falling to a knee as she tried to catch her breath.

Fortunately for them, the Diaboromon seemed more interested in Beelzemon. He broke off his attack and immediately joined his counterpart that was struggling with the Demon Lord. He slammed into Beelzemon and knocked him away. Now working in tandem, the two Diaboromon shot their arms forward. Beelzemon managed to fly around the attacks and eventually get hold of one of their cable-like arms. He swung around and smashed the Diaboromon in his grasp into the other.

"And there's more where dat came from!" Beelzemon taunted.

As if in response, the Diaboromon he had blasted at the beginning of the fight flew towards him. Caught off guard, Beelzemon wasn't able to avoid catching a horn in his abdomen. Suzie looked to Ai and Mako as they caught the feedback from the attack. They managed to stay standing, however, thanks to the advantage of the pain being divided between them.

"Let's show 'em who's boss!" Mako called out, receiving a nod in return from his sister.

As the Diaboromon came around for another attack, Ai stuck out their shared D-Power and allowed Mako to swipe a modify card through it. Suzie wasn't left to wonder what kind of card it was for long, as Beelzemon dodged with newfound speed. The Diaboromon overshot his target and flew forward, giving Beelzemon time to trace a pentagram into the air with his primary weapon.

"CORONA DESTROYER!"

The massive attack shot forward disintegrated its target. Beelzemon looked like he was about ready to gloat over the victory, but that only allowed him to caught unaware when his two other opponents rejoined the fight.

"WEB WRECKER!"

The two remaining Diaboromon unleashed a volley of energy blasts that all managed to connect. Beelzemon cried out in pain as he fell to the ground and returned to his Rookie form. The two assailants stood over him, apparently ready to gloat themselves.

"Revenge at last," one of them said.

"Hey!" Antylamon yelled. She weakly walked towards them. "We're not done yet."

"Very well, you will be the appetizer." They moved to attack again, with Antylamon fruitlessly trying to dodge their claws.

Suzie struggled to look through her own modify cards, praying that she could find a way to save them. Unfortunately, she was not only hindered by physical pain, but also by the words repeating in the back of her head: _This is all my fault_.

She had dragged them all to this world, in a vain attempt to be reunited with a friend who she had been too weak to save. Now, history was about to repeat itself. Suzie shook her head in defiance. Things _were_ going to be different this time, even if the only change she could affect was that she would fight back this time.

As Antylamon staggered back from her opponents one more time, Suzie finally settled on the Imperialdramon card in her deck. She drove it through her D-Power before watching Antylamon's hand be replaced by a claw with a massive cannon on it. Her partner then proceeded to take aim and charge her next attack.

"POSITRON LASER!"

Antylamon released the blast, hitting and atomizing one of the Diaboromon. Somewhat satisfied with the outcome, Suzie limped over to her partner, who had already collapsed and returned to her Rookie form. She was aware of the final Diaboromon, who was screaming in rage and preparing another attack. Exhaustion, however, kept Suzie from giving him much thought.

She made it to Lopmon's side and took her into her arms. She heard Ai and Mako calling her name, probably trying to warn her about Diaboromon's imminent retaliation. She looked back in their direction and tried to apologize to them, but found she didn't have the strength to speak. She closed her eyes as the glow of Diaboromon's charging attack intensified.

"VOLTAGE BLADE!"

Suzie's attention snapped towards the last Diaboromon, seeing a red energy blade protruding from his face. Questions started to come into her head, but quickly became muffled like the all the other sounds around her. Suzie was tired of fighting for now, so she decided to forfeit her battle to stay conscious.

* * *

 _I've been reviewing my original treatment and notes for this story, and it's funny to me what's changed and what hasn't changed. The fight with the Diaboromon, for example, hasn't really changed at all from conception to execution._

 _The alternate version of Henry, on the other hand, has had his part change quite a bit. I originally had the idea that the Wongs had left Shinjuku and Henry had found himself returning because of the tears. I think I dropped this because I couldn't justify them leaving in the first place. After that, Henry's role was almost just him sitting in his bedroom and talking to Terriermon the whole time, which is obviously no longer the case. I didn't like the idea of him having such a menial role in the plot and felt like the character deserved to meet alternate versions of the friends he had drifted away from._

 _Anyway, time to stop rambling and start Chapter 11._


	11. Conversations with Dead People

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Conversations with Dead People**

" _You know it wasn't your fault, right?"_

Suzie turned at the sound of the echo, trying to figure out which direction it had originated from. She was currently in Shinjuku Park; right at the bottom of the stairs that led to Guilmon's shed. She could not remember how she got there, but also found that she didn't really care so much.

Deciding not to waste any more time, Suzie made her way up the stairs. She noted that the park was quiet and still, without even a breeze going on around her. Reaching her destination, she took hold of the gate and opened it.

Upon passing through its threshold, Suzie found herself in the Katous' restaurant. Save for Jeri standing behind the bar, it was empty. Not concerned with her change in surroundings, Suzie walked over to the bar and sat on a stool across from Jeri.

" _You weren't there,"_ Suzie said, her own voice echoing as well. _"How could you know that?"_

" _Henry, Rika, and Takato were,"_ Jeri replied. She leaned in closer. _"Was it their fault too?"_

Suzie didn't know how to reply. She stared at Jeri for a few seconds, who only smiled in return. It was not only warmth she got from the older girl, but understanding as well. It was because of this that she found Jeri easy to trust with what was on her mind.

" _It's not just grief you feel,"_ Jeri said suddenly.

Suzie blinked at the statement, hardly noticing yet another change in scenery. Suzie was now in her bedroom, sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. Jeri sat on the floor on other side of the room, leaning against the wall. Her expression was unchanged.

" _You feel weak and powerless too,"_ Jeri continued. _"In the end, there was nothing you could have done that would have made a difference."_

" _Well, there should have been!"_ Suzie snapped. She hesitated before continuing a little more quietly. _"He was the first person to think that me becoming a Tamer wasn't a big mistake, and I repay him by proving him wrong."_

" _So this is really about proving yourself."_ Jeri's smile changed to a more neutral expression and she seemed to look closer at Suzie. She didn't seem like she was being judgmental, but more so like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

" _I don't know…"_ Suzie felt her body begin to shake and started to have a little trouble breathing. _"I don't know how to make things right."_

" _You need to figure out exactly what you're trying to prove, and who you're proving it too."_

Suzie concentrated on Jeri now, trying to figure out the answers to the questions that had just been put forward. She remained quiet, however, as nothing immediately came to her.

" _Suzie,"_ Jeri said suddenly and urgently.

" _What?"_ Suzie replied, though Jeri didn't seem to acknowledge her.

"Suzie!"

Suzie threw herself into an upright position. Her bedroom had disappeared, having been replaced by a dimly lit cave. It took a few seconds for Ai and Mako's presence in her immediate vicinity to register. The two of them were sitting next to her with concerned looks on their faces.

"Sorry," Ai said softly. "We didn't want to wake you, but we were worried."

"Worried about what?" Suzie asked as she stretched and stood up.

"You were shaking and sweating," Mako explained. He and his sister stood up as well. "We thought you were having a nightmare."

"Well, I wasn't." Suzie began to look around the cave, noting that Impmon was resting against a wall. "Not exactly, anyway."

"I wonder what counts as 'not exactly' a nightmare," a familiar voice said from behind her. She turned round and was met by a pair of faces she would have easily been able to pick out of a crowd.

"Terriermon…" Lopmon groaned.

"What?" Terriermon whined. "It's a legitimate question."

Suzie smiled, but found that her instincts were keeping her from greeting them. A voice in her head said that this Lopmon was not her partner, nor was this Terriermon the one she arrived in this reality with. Regarding the former in particular, while there was an immediate recognition between the two of them, the inherent, almost indescribable bond between them was missing. The disappointed look on this Lopmon's face told Suzie that she felt this as well.

If Suzie's instincts didn't confirm this, looking just beyond the two digimon did. There, lying on the ground, was another Lopmon. Suzie ran over to this one without thinking and gently picked her up.

"Hey, partner," Lopmon breathed, her face forming a weak smile.

"Hey," Suzie returned in kind, trying to keep her composure. "Are you okay?"

"I think so."

"I'm so sorry, Lop!" Suzie held her partner against her as tightly as she could. "This was all my fault."

"It's okay, Suzie." It was typical of Lopmon to not be mad at her. Still, Suzie didn't feel like she deserved to let this go.

"No, it's _not_ okay. You were right. I was being selfish when I dragged us here."

"Suzie-"

"I almost got us all killed. I was so obsessed with one friend that I almost forgot about the ones I still have."

"Suzie," Lopmon strained. "I can't breathe."

"Oh!" Suzie quickly put her partner down. Despite a bit of a wobble, Lopmon managed to stay upright. "My bad."

"I guess she's not _that_ different from our Suzie," Terriermon commented.

"They know already?" Suzie directed her question at Ai and Mako.

"Yeah," Ai answered. "We've had some time to talk since-"

"Since the grouchy, old cat dragged you in," Terriermon finished for her.

Terriermon's comment was answered by a deep growl which emanated from the cave's entrance. All eyes turned in that direction and Suzie's heart skipped a beat when she saw the imposing figure of Cyberdramon.

"Well, good morning to you too, sunshine," Terriermon greeted without skipping a beat.

"One of these days…" Cyberdramon snarled as he approached. To Terriermon's credit, he didn't flinch at the threat. Not that this surprised Suzie, as he had never been afraid of saying anything to anyone.

"You guys live together?" Suzie asked as she watched the situation play out in front of her.

"I think 'coexist' is the more accurate word," one final voice added. Suzie froze in place, afraid to face its owner.

When Ryo Akiyama stepped out from Cyberdramon's shadow, Suzie made a conscious decision to lock her legs in place. She knew that this Ryo wasn't the one she watched fall in battle, and treating him like he was would make things more confusing for everyone. Judging by how things have diverged in this reality, the Ryo in front of her likely had next to no history with her counterpart here.

"That's how most people describe being around Terriermon," Suzie said as casually as she could. It took all her willpower not to take hold of him the same way she had earlier with Lopmon.

"Yeah, I bet," Ryo replied as he approached her, with a confident grin on his face. "You're Suzie, right? From what your friends have told me, you have quite the story."

"Coming from you, that's saying something." Suzie scratched the back of her neck nervously.

Ryo's grin went away. "I'm sorry about your friend. I didn't know the Jeri from this reality, but she seemed pretty important to the others." He then crossed his arms and tilted his head at her. "That doesn't explain why you're _here_ , though."

Suzie glanced back at Ai and Mako, who both shrugged in return. Apparently they hadn't told Ryo _everything_.

"We're here looking for you," Suzie explained. Ryo's expression didn't change, making her realize she needed to elaborate further. "I thought you could maybe help us find Jeri and, when that's done, maybe help your friends. They're kind of scattered right now, and having the whole team back together might help."

Suzie thought she'd be breathing a bit easier now that the task at hand was complete, but something was still weighing on her. She went over what she had just said in her head, trying to figure out if she had left out anything important. Satisfied, she turned her search outward and, unfortunately, found exactly what she was looking for. Not only had Ryo not responded, but had a serious look about him that Suzie had never seen before.

"No," Ryo stated definitively.

"What da ya mean 'no'?" Impmon yelled as he stood up. "We come all dis way ta ask fer yer help, and dat's all we get!"

Suzie looked at the angry digimon. She understood his outrage, but couldn't share it for some reason. She wasn't really feeling much of anything except confusion. What she had just heard didn't make sense. Ryo had never refused to help anybody.

"Why not?" Suzie managed to verbalize.

"Because they're _not_ a team," Ryo answered. "When I first met them, they were disorganized and argumentative. As time went on, they became bitter and angry. It'd be a waste of time to try and get 'the team' back together, because they want nothing to do with each other."

"But we came all this way," Mako argued.

Ryo turned away from them to exit the cave. "I'll help you find your way back to the Real World, but after that, you're on your own."

He and Cyberdramon left the vicinity with Impmon yelling after them. Suzie was too numb make out what he saying, and barely noticed Lopmon climb onto her head. She not only had no idea how to feel, she was also lost about what to do next.

* * *

Alice had ended up dragging Henry quite a few blocks away from Hypnos. Their destination had ended up being an "All-American" style diner that was not unlike the ones Henry had seen in movies. At the moment, they were sitting across from each other in a small booth.

Henry looked up from the menu in front of him and over at his coworker. While she didn't look back at him, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that she knew he was staring. Normally he wouldn't stare, but his current location and company left him with a fair amount of questions. At the very least, these questions were momentary distractions from the looming threat, so he chose not to push them from his mind.

"You get one question," Alice said without looking up from her menu. Henry was starting to seriously consider the possibility that she was psychic. "Use it wisely."

"Why this place?" Henry asked. It was a quick decision, but one he felt confident in making.

Alice finally looked up at him, though Henry was having a hard time deciding if her expression was one of surprise or amusement. "When I moved here, I was actually surprised how many places like this the city had. This restaurant, however, is the closest you'll get to the real deal."

"So, you're homesick, then."

"Something like that." Alice's gaze turned away from him and toward the window to her left.

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Only if you're okay with not getting an answer." Alice kept her attention trained on the window. Anything Henry got out of her would end up being vague and cryptic, but he decided to take his chances anyway.

"Why did you decide to move out here in the first place?" To Henry, it was an obvious question that he had never thought to ask her. Sitting there in that moment, however, he couldn't help but wonder why someone his age would move across an ocean.

Alice ended up not reacting to the question. Henry told himself that perhaps that was for the best, as he really didn't know her well enough to be asking personal questions like that. Still, for the first time he found himself wondering how Takato was able to so get conversations like this out of Rika. While the redhead was now quite a bit more open and emotional than Henry had ever known Alice to be, she still remained guarded when it came to certain topics.

 _Something to ask him when he gets back_ , Henry tried to assure himself.

"Don't do that," Alice muttered suddenly. Henry looked at again her again and found her staring at the table.

"Do what?" Henry asked nervously. He mentally kicked himself as he did, having never hesitated about asking questions before.

"Worry about whatever it is you're worrying about. The whole point of this was that you would stop doing that for an hour."

Henry smiled, having finally figured out the best way to handle the situation in front of him. "So that's what this is about?" Henry teased. "I had no idea you cared."

Alice replied with the glare he was familiar with. "It's what people do for each other, isn't it?" she grumbled.

"Does this make us friends now?"

"Don't push your luck. Like I said yesterday, I don't need you creating extra work for me."

"A likely story…" Alice picked up her menu again in an obvious attempt to ignore him. Noting a waitress heading their way, Henry opted to do the same. He would have more time to poke at her as they ate.

* * *

Takato felt both disappointment and sadness as he looked at this universe's version of his family's bakery. The disappointment came from the fact that they had come here in the hopes of tracking down his counterpart. If the other Takato had ever been here, he was gone now. The sadness, on the other hand, came from seeing the only home he had ever known empty and abandoned.

"What happened?" Takato asked this universe's version of Henry. He tried reminding himself that his actual home and parents were exactly how and where he left them in an attempt to keep his emotions in check.

"We had no way of knowing that our Takato had gone to the Digital World when he first disappeared," Henry explained. "His parents spent a lot of time and money trying to find him and the bakery suffered because of it."

"Where are they now?"

"Last I heard, they were in Okinawa."

"I liked it there," Guilmon said in an obvious attempt to reassure his partner. Takato acknowledged the sentiment with a nod.

"Where to next?" Terriermon asked. He was currently riding on Guilmon's back.

"The park?" Henry suggested. "Or maybe school?"

"Why would _any_ version of Takato want to go there?"

"Okay, fair point…"

They eventually decided on a direction and left the bakery's vicinity. They initially walked in silence, which wasn't sitting right with Takato. Different realities or not, he hated the idea that he and Henry could have difficulty speaking to each other. Despite the recent memories of how Ruki had regarded him, he decided to try and rectify the situation in front of him.

"Hey, Henry," Takato said. "I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something."

"Sure, go ahead," Henry replied, sounding a little confused.

"Well, I've been having these nightmares for months now and was wondering if you could help me sort out what they mean."

"I'll do my best." Problem solving and offering reliable advice were two of Henry's strong suits. Takato was sure that any awkwardness between them would fade once he was in his element.

"Well, in them I…" Takato found himself pausing for a heartbeat. The fact that he was trying to help a friend didn't make revisiting his recurring nightmares any less difficult. "…I essentially destroy the whole city on my own. My friends try to stop me, but…" Takato wasn't sure how to explain that he killed them all in a feral state.

"These nightmares started _before_ the tears started opening?" Henry looked at Takato calmly and objectively. He didn't need clarification about the rest of the nightmare, and wasn't going to pass any judgment.

"I thought they did, but it turned out the tears might be the result of something that happened six months back."

"Which would mean that the tears actually do predate your nightmares." Henry turned away from Takato as he often did when he was trying to think about the information that was given to him. He turned towards him again, still not betraying any thoughts on the matter. "What do _you_ think causes them?"

"I… don't know." Takato looked down at the sidewalk. "I lost control again a little while back and put everyone in harm's way. I've been worried that that side of me is trying to come to the surface again or, worse, they're premonitions of some kind."

"Premonitions?"

"I know; Rika said it was stupid too. She thinks they'll stop if I stop feeling guilty all the time."

"Too bad there's no chance of that happening." Confused, Takato looked back at Henry and found him smiling. "I've never known there to be anyone who can stop you from carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"So you think there's nothing I can do?"

"I _think_ that Rika's right. Even though the tears didn't manifest until recently, the barrier between our two worlds has been damaged for some time. That plus our Takato's mental state and your own guilt is recipe for bad dreams if nothing else."

"I guess," Takato admitted. As usual, Henry's reasoning made sense. Everyone seemed to be telling him the same thing, so maybe it was time he wrote his nightmares off as just that.

"Actually, I'm more curious about _how_ you're able to have dreams like this," Henry added. He pinched his chin as he often did when he was lost in thought. "You mention premonitions before. Do you have dreams like this often?"

"I can't think of any occasion besides the one dream I had about Rika."

"Wait, what?" Terriermon called out from behind them.

 _Oh no_ , Takato thought as his body froze in terror. Before he knew it, the rabbit-dog digimon had landed on top of his head and was looking down at him.

"Don't be so uptight, Takato," Terriermon teased forebodingly. "I just want to know everything about this dream you had."

"W-What dream?" Takato asked, trying to sound dismissive. "I d-don't remember mentioning any dream."

"Don't be like that, Takato. Are you really gonna make me get it out of Guilmon?"

Takato turned around and looked at his partner, who refused to meet his gaze. Guilmon wasn't known for his ability to keep secrets. Takato shook his head and sighed. He couldn't decide if it was tragic, ironic, or just fitting that the literal girl of his dreams would be the one to end up killing him.

Henry laughed quietly beside him. "Sorry, but it's kind of like old times," he clarified when Takato looked at him questioningly.

To Takato, this was a regular occurrence, but decided not to point this out. He didn't see the benefit to drudging up the different circumstances he and Henry lived under. He also hoped that he would live long enough to one day reflect on "old times."

* * *

Jeri took in the familiar surroundings of Shinjuku Park. She felt reassured in knowing that this place had not changed much at all. Walking next to her with his hood pulled up was this reality's Takato, who was quite the deviation from what she was familiar with when compared to the park. The two had of them had not ended up coming straight here, having taken a couple detours along the way.

For the first time that she could remember, Jeri was having a hard time reading Takato. Like her, he was inspecting the park around them, but she was unable to tell if this was just out of paranoia. Whatever was the case, Jeri had spent a lot of the day so far trying to keep him distracted when he started acting this way.

"You're acting like it's been a while since you've been here," Jeri pointed out.

"I guess that's because I usually only come here when a wild digimon appears," Takato replied. He took one more look around before settling his gaze on her. "Do you still come here a lot?"

"Yeah, quite a bit." Jeri smiled instinctively as a handful of memories immediately came into her head. "It's funny… I was just thinking yesterday about how we still come here as a group even with everything else that's changed over the years."

"How _have_ things changed for you?" Keeping Takato engaged with her had not been as difficult as Jeri had anticipated. All she really had to do was answer his questions, which all seemed to be about gleaming information about her in particular.

"In some ways more than others." Jeri wouldn't normally be vague about answering questions, but Takato was beating around the bush and obviously had something specific on his mind.

"What about _your_ Takato?"

"What about him?" Jeri asked innocently.

"How…" Takato paused a beat, possibly picking up on the game she was playing. "…different are we exactly?"

"In some ways more than others," Jeri teased.

"Could you stop saying that?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Jeri laughed, but then felt her smile fall away as she looked directly at Takato. She decided the game was over. "Look Takato, I… don't _want_ to make things any more awkward between us, but I think you'd feel a lot better if you just ask what you want to ask."

"Are y-you…" Takato began. He scratched the back of his head as he looked at and away from her. "Are you and I… I mean are you and _him_ -?"

"No," Jeri stated, not having any interest in torturing Takato.

"Okay," Takato said neutrally. He looked away from her, but quickly turned back towards her with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, why not?"

"I don't think there was any single reason." Jeri looked down at the path in front of her. Aside from the fact that they were trying to find her a way home, she had been actively avoiding trying to make this day about her. Of course, she should have foreseen that this wasn't going to be the case. "Part of it was one of the things the two of you _do_ have in common."

"What's that?"

"You feel guilty when bad things happen, even when it's something that's out of your control."

"But he saved you, didn't he? What would he have to feel guilty about?"

Jeri found herself laughing at the question despite that not being the intent behind it. "After we defeated the D-Reaper, he took me aside and I ended up asking him the same thing. Apparently, he felt guilty for not being able to recognize that the 'Jeri' that came home on the Ark was a D-Reaper agent. According to him, he should have known the difference instantly."

"Well, maybe he should have…" Jeri looked back at Takato, only to find that he had already turned away from her.

"That was also almost three years ago," Jeri explained, in part to shift the tone of the conversation. "I think it just turned out that I wasn't what he was looking for."

"I can't imagine him ever feeling that way," Takato responded, _trying_ to sound casual. Jeri found it cute that he was trying to hide his feelings for her despite the topic of conversation.

"Oh really…" Jeri then thought of something that hadn't come up in their conversations so far, and part of her couldn't wait to spring it on him just to see how he reacted.

"What could any girl have that you don't?"

"Violet eyes, red hair, and attitude for days."

At first, Takato didn't react. Then realization washed over his face. "That can't be right."

Except that it very much was. Rika currently had Takato's undivided attention when it came to romantic feelings and, whether either of them knew it or not, had had it since a swarm of Parasimon tried to invade the Real World on Rika's thirteenth birthday. The two had essentially been inseparable since the incident. Jeri might have relayed some of this information to the Takato in front of her were it not for the sound of familiar voices echoing from nearby.

"I'm telling ya, Kenta, I think she genuinely hates me."

"Are you trying to get me to convince you you're wrong? Because I don't think I can do that."

Without even having to look at each other, Jeri and Takato ran off the path they were on and into the brush. Not long after that, this reality's versions of Kazu Shioda and Kenta Kitagawa came into view. Jeri felt some relief upon seeing them. The pair didn't seem to have changed much, or at the very least not on the surface.

"Well, that was close," Takato whispered. Jeri did not need to look at him to tell he was nervous.

"Or maybe not close enough," Jeri muttered to herself. In all honesty, she had been hoping to run into Rika or Henry's counterparts. As she thought about it, however, she considered the possibility that getting Takato to reunite with Kazu and Kenta first could serve as a first step before throwing him at his best friends.

"Jeri…" Takato eyed her suspiciously. "Why are we _actually_ here?"

Jeri looked back at him as she tried to figure out how to answer. In the end, she decided the truth was her best option. "Do you _really_ trust me, Takato?"

* * *

Rika had expected Ruki to be completely against the notion of them continuing to patrol together. Instead, she seemed completely apathetic towards the idea. Despite the amount of ground they had covered, the two of them had not exchanged a word since their initial argument. At the moment, they were at a subway station awaiting the next train.

" _Have you decided what you're going to say?"_ Renamon asked via their psychic link, something they hadn't had much occasion to use as of late. The both of them had started to find it amusing that, despite honing and strengthening it over the years, it saw less and less use outside of battle. The pair had gotten used to speaking out loud to one another both in private and in front of their friends.

" _I'm still working on it,"_ Rika replied. Unfortunately, talking to Ruki was not as easy as talking to her partner. By all logic, it should have been easier, given that she could anticipate how her double would think. At the moment, however, it was acting as a hindrance as she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. _"Is this how Takato feels when we speak?"_

" _Something to consider in the future, perhaps."_

" _Yeah, I get it; Karma's a bitch."_

Rika considered her friends, trying to figure out how they would deal with situation. Jeri would ask any number of questions that she deemed relevant to the situation. Rika dismissed this method, deciding that anyone without Jeri's disarming personality didn't have much luck talking to her that way. Then, of course, there was Takato, who sometimes seemed to say what she needed to hear by accident. While not always effective, Rika appreciated that it came from an honest place.

With that thought, an idea came to Rika's mind. What she was considering doing was not something that was completely foreign to her, but still difficult for her to do even without her current circumstances. Looking at Ruki, she decided she had nothing to lose.

"I'm sorry," Rika stated loudly and clearly.

Ruki turned her head, but still didn't say speak. She likely wasn't sure what to make of the situation in front of her.

"What I've seen here hasn't been easy for me to accept," Rika continued. "Every second I spend here is a constant reminder of what I was like before I had friends, and how easy it would be for me to backslide. I don't want that to happen, and I took those fears out on you."

"Whatever," Ruki said after a pause. Part of Rika wanted to deck the girl again, as that was not the response she had wanted after being open and honest with her. In the end, a more logical voice won out, telling Rika that getting any response at all was progress.

Rika frowned, but tried her best to continue calmly. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to try a little harder. I'm doing my best over here."

"Trust me; I'm well aware how much _better_ you are than me."

Rika turned away from her double and looked down at the ground. "I'm not better than you," she confessed. "Between us defeating the D-Reaper and getting our partners back, I didn't speak to Henry either. Might never have again if Takato and Jeri hadn't been around to convince me how stupid I was being."

"How'd you patch things up?" Ruki asked, which caused Rika to look back towards her. Despite her indifferent tone, she was interested enough to ask the question.

"That was the worst part. Before I could apologize to Henry, he ended up apologizing to _me_. Promised me that he was going to make things right no matter what it cost him."

"Well, that's stupid."

"No, that's who he is," Rika shot back. "It's probably who your Henry is too. You just never gave him a chance to prove it."

"Maybe you're right." Ruki's condescending tone was gone, but Rika still wasn't getting enough from her to know if she meant what she was saying. "Maybe I didn't give Henry a chance, but what about the rest of them? What about Takato?"

"Which one?" Rika was once again reminded how complicated a scenario she found herself in. Again, she felt that the only thing she could do was speak honestly. "I can't speak for your reality's Takato. Besides the one fight, I've never met him. Honestly, I can't say I wouldn't feel the same as you if our positions were reversed."

"Then why should I give your Takato a free pass?"

"Because he's my best friend." Rika heard Renamon clear her throat over their link. It may have been a friendly jab to remind Rika that she was listening in, but it could have also been the fact that she had never said that out loud. Regardless, she continued. "I know him, and you just have to trust me when I say that he's not the monster that you're making him out to be."

"I just have to give him a chance to prove it…" Again, Ruki's tone made it difficult to tell whether or not she was considering what was being told to her. There was a few seconds of silence between them before it was interrupted by a familiar alarm.

Rika pulled out her D-Power, which apparently could detect this reality's bio-emergences. She wouldn't get a chance to question this, as the readings on the screen told her that the coming emergence was a large one.

* * *

 _So this was one of maybe three chapters so far where the title came to me pretty quickly. If I do end up writing any stories following this one, they probably won't have individual chapter titles. One less thing to pointlessly obsess over._


	12. Stampede

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Stampede**

Terriermon clung to Guilmon's tail as the saurian rounded a street corner. How he ended up in this situation for the second time in twenty-four hours was beyond him. Keeping pace a few steps behind them were Takato and this reality's version of Henry. The group had immediately changed direction when the Tamers' D-Powers detected the imminent bio-emergence.

"Can you guys tell what we're dealing with yet?" Takato called forward to the two digimon.

"Something big," Guilmon replied without turning his head back.

"How about something more specific than that?"

Just as Takato finished the question, Guilmon took another sharp turn. The momentum caused him to swing his tail, which in turn caused Terriermon to lose his grip and fly face-first into a telephone pole. Terriermon wouldn't get a chance to mope about his misfortune, however, as Henry got a hold of him before he hit the ground.

"Not really," Terriermon answered Takato as he shook the pain from his face. "We could be looking at one really powerful digimon or a handful of weaker ones."

"Terrific…" Takato groaned.

"You sound surprised," Henry pointed out.

"I kinda am. Back home, Hypnos has things buttoned up pretty tight. Bio-emergences like this rarely happen."

"Guess your Hypnos has been slackin'," Terriermon suggested.

"Maybe, or it could be that something happened on the other side to shake things up," Henry countered.

"Well, either way, this should draw in Nega-Takato like a Mothmon to a flame." Terriermon looked to Takato, but didn't get much of a reaction out of him other than a simple nod. He was worried, likely due to remembering how well they had faired the last time they faced ChaosGallantmon.

Of course, this line of thought soon had Terriermon a little worried as well. He had been useless during the last fight. He looked up at his partner's doppelganger, well aware that they would not be able to assist each other in battle. Terriermon wasn't sure what he was going to do about the coming fight and knew he would have to decide fast.

* * *

Trudging across the barren Digital World felt like more of a challenge for Suzie this time around. While no weather anomalies impeded their progress, morale for the group was a bit low. Despite the fact that the person they had been seeking was leading them through the wasteland, they still felt like they had been defeated. Ryo was still refusing to return to the Real World with them, which meant that either Suzie would have to change his mind or they would have to concede that this journey had been for nothing.

Less difficult to convince had been this reality's versions of Lopmon and Terriermon. The two digimon knew their partners could potentially be in danger and weren't going to let old grudges keep them away. Looking at her own partner, who was currently attached to her shoulder, Suzie found it hard to be shocked by their eagerness to return home.

"What's the hold up, Impmon?" Mako asked. They had been walking in silence up to that point, so everyone turned around at the sound of the question. Ai, Mako, and Impmon had been just behind Suzie, but they were now lagging behind quite a bit. Impmon in particular was a few feet farther back than his partners, having stopped to look around the area.

"I was just thinkin' about stuff," Impmon answered after a second's pause. It took Suzie a bit to take note of the battle scars that surrounded them and realize that this was the spot where they had fought the Diaboromon earlier.

"Like what?" Ai chimed in.

"Everything in dis reality is da same but a bit different, right?" Impmon scratched his ear and turned to face everyone. He looked like he was deep in thought, which Suzie wasn't used to seeing.

"So far, at least."

"So I was just figurin' dat things were about the same til I got offed. It sounds like Jeri not bein' here might have somethin' ta do wit dat."

"It may," Ai replied, exchanging a grin with her brother.

"I was just thinkin' dat's nice ta know." Impmon smiled, but not in the cocky way Suzie was used to. At the moment, he looked more relieved than anything else.

"I don't mean to interrupt, guys, but we should keep moving," Ryo called back to them.

"Sheesh, what's his problem?" Impmon said loudly, likely so Ryo would hear him. "It's not like he's got anything better ta do."

"Hey, if you want to get left behind, that's your business." Ryo turned to keep walking.

"What happened to sticking together?" Suzie asked firmly. She hated the way this Ryo was acting. It made her feel like someone was dishonoring her friend's memory. "Isn't that how we get through tough times?"

"Who taught you that?"

"A friend. He used to say that we could beat impossible odds as long as we worked as a team."

"No offense, but your friend kind of sounds like a tool." Ryo actually sounded a bit apologetic as he spoke. It was as though he didn't recognize his own words.

"He does, doesn't he?" Cyberdramon added suddenly, causing Ryo to turn and face his partner.

"Yeah… I just said that…"

"You guys shouldn't let him bother you," Terriermon announced, obviously seizing the opportunity to enter the conversation. "And you take all the time to reflect you want, Impmon. I, for one, am glad you stopped being Zhuqiaomon's sock puppet."

"Thanks, Helicopta-head…" Impmon replied with an unenthusiastic glare.

Suzie then felt Lopmon shift. Turning to her partner, Suzie found her looking around the group with what looked like realization on her face.

"That's it!" Lopmon shouted, surprising everyone. She then shrunk a little, probably a bit embarrassed by her outburst. "Sorry, but I just realized that we could go to Zhuqiaomon to find out what's wrong with the Digital World." Suzie didn't speak at first, having forgotten Lopmon's interest in figuring out why this Digital World was in more disarray than their own.

"Well, good luck with that," Terriermon said flatly.

"Ole Big Bird not in a talkin' mood?" Impmon surmised.

"Not in an _anything_ mood; he's missing. Has been for a while."

"That can't be right," Lopmon said in disbelief.

"I'm afraid it is," her double confirmed.

"Are you sure? The Sovereign's Domain is-"

"Gone," Terriermon stated before Lopmon could finish her thought.

"Excuse me?"

"Off the map, out of sight, and out of mind. I mean, at least Zhuster's section of it is."

"We're not sure what happened," the other Lopmon elaborated. "We just know that the whole sector just vanished one day."

" _When_ , exactly, did this happen?" Lopmon asked urgently.

A tremor quickly followed Lopmon's question. Suzie looked around the group to see if they had felt it as well. Ai and Mako looked back at her to acknowledging they had felt it, but the confusion on their faces indicated they were unsure what to make of it either. The digimon, on the other hand, all stared off into the distance. Cyberdramon growled deeply, which usually indicated that trouble was imminent.

Suzie was about to ask what they sensed, but stopped herself when she heard a low rumble in the direction everyone was looking. Something was headed in their direction, and _multiple_ somethings by the sound of it.

"I was afraid this would happen," Ryo said softly, almost as though he were talking to himself.

" _What's_ happening?" Suzie asked in reply.

"Those Diaboromon were the strongest digimon in this area. With them gone…"

"Turf war," Impmon finished for him.

The rumble soon gave way to the shapes of digimon approaching from the distance. Suzie clutched her D-Power, but ended up not needing to use its analyzer to identify what was approaching. She instantly recognized them as a herd of angry Monochromon.

* * *

While the public's innate fear of digimon usually annoyed Rika, she found it convenient when a digital field would appear. Over the years, it became common knowledge that the appearance of one meant that a wild digimon was about to bio-emerge, and most people wanted nothing more than to be as far away from the danger as possible. This occasion proved to be no exception.

When she and Ruki arrived at the intersection where the field had appeared, they didn't enter immediately. After all, the plan had been to wait for Takato's double to show up. Even if Jeri ended up not being with him, there was the possibility that he could lead them to her. Unfortunately, the longer they waited for him the longer the field had to dissipate and allow whatever was inside loose on the rest of the city.

"Do we know what's in there?" Rika asked impatiently.

"Three digimon, each moving around the field slowly and deliberately," Renamon answered. She paused for a split second. "One of them is afraid."

"That's not exactly uncommon."

"I suppose not…" Renamon focused on the field again, almost like she was trying to solve a puzzle that no one else was even aware existed. Rika decided not to ask for clarification, as she knew her partner would divulge information as she acquired it.

"What I'd like to know is when _we're_ gonna stop standing around," Ruki announced. She was also feeling impatient, but with a bit more anger beneath the surface.

"Ruki…" her partner said sympathetically.

"Yeah, yeah, I know… we're _waiting_. The problem is that if we wait too long someone is going to end up getting hurt."

Rika knew that her double was correct, but still found herself hesitating to act. She cursed to herself, knowing this would never happen under normal circumstances. The issue was that these were not normal circumstances. Jeri was in danger, and Rika hated the idea of giving up a way of finding her. Looking at the field, however, she conceded that they had little choice in the matter.

"She's right," Rika admitted. "Let's move."

Rika put on her shades, pausing only when she realized that Ruki had simultaneously done the same with an almost identical motion. They looked at each other, but both decided to ignore what had just occurred. Rika looked to Renamon, who she could have sworn had a smirk on her face for a split second. The kitsune then nodded before the four of them moved into the digital field.

As they passed through, Rika could tell the field was starting to thin out. The option of dragging the fight out to give the other Takato a chance to show up seemed to be off the table. They would have to make this quick.

"There," Renamon whispered, pointing a paw towards two huge figures wandering around the area.

Rika recognized them as a couple of Monochromon, large dinosaur digimon more known for smashing things than anything else. As neither had noticed them yet, Rika took an extra second to scan the area for the third digimon Renamon had mentioned. She spotted it and the scenario in front of her started to make sense.

Hiding behind a lamppost was a Gazimon, a small dog-like digimon. The two Monochromon were obviously looking for him, and the smaller digimon had been lucky enough to avoid detection up to this point. That all changed, however, when he panicked and tried to make a break from his cover. The Monochromon took notice and charged.

"Renamon!" Rika ordered, not needing to clarify. With agility unmatched by any digimon they had ever encountered, Renamon leapt into the fray and pulled the Gazimon out of the dinosaurs' path. Both ended up crashing into the building in their path.

"Oh, _great_ work," Ruki commented sarcastically as the two Monochromon pulled themselves from the rubble.

"Give me a break," Rika snapped back. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Forget about the little guy and go on the offensive."

Part of Rika wanted to keep arguing, but she kept quiet so she could focus on the fight. She had made a call, one she was confident that any of her friends would have made. She didn't need Ruki to second guess her.

Renamon returned to Rika's side, dropping the Gazimon from her grasp as she did. Still nervous, he eyed the two Monochromon who were reorienting themselves for another charge. He then looked up at the people responsible for saving his life.

"So what's your story?" Rika asked him.

"Someone offed some key players back on the other side," Gazimon explained, obviously just as afraid of them as he was his assailants. "It's been a madhouse all day."

"Doesn't explain how you ended up here," Renamon pointed out as she crossed her arms.

"Well, you know, one thing leads to another and-"

Before Gazimon could finish his explanation, a massive fireball came soaring their way and they all barely managed to dive out of the way. Rika grabbed her D-Power with the intent of beginning a counterattack, but everyone ended up pausing when they realized that the digital field around them had finally faded away.

Seizing the opportunity, one of the Monochromon turned around in the opposite direction and ran off. The other charged right by Rika and Renamon, with it taking a second for Rika to realize it was once again in pursuit of Gazimon. The little, grey digimon had bolted at the first chance he got.

"This is just perfect," Ruki grumbled. She slashed a card through her D-Power and her partner became Kyubimon. Ruki turned to Rika as she climbed onto the fox's back. "We'll go after that one. _You_ can go save your little friend."

Rika growled a bit as her double rode off but, again, didn't argue. She merely turned to Renamon and the two silently agreed to get to work. Gazimon couldn't have gotten far and would have been easy to find even without Renamon's tracking abilities.

As they did, however, something still pricked at the back of Rika's mind. They had come here in the hopes of finding this reality's Takato, but he was a no show. For the life in her, Rika could not figure out what he could be doing instead.

* * *

Jeri raised herself slightly from her crouching position in the brush. She had a pretty good line of sight to where this reality's Kazu and Kenta were conversing, but felt confident that the foliage and shadows that surrounded her would keep them from seeing her clearly. A few yards in front of her, Takato inched his way towards them.

It had taken a little bit to convince Takato to reveal himself to them, to the point where they'd had to run a bit to catch up with Kazu and Kenta. The two had stopped to talk, but the fact that he no longer had to pursue them didn't seem to make things easier for Takato. He resisted for a bit, but Jeri had told him that there was a chance that they would run into each other eventually. She also tried to reinforce the notion that Takato couldn't live alone for the rest of his life.

Before stepping out into the light of day, Takato looked back at Jeri one more time. There was uneasiness in his eyes, almost as if he were asking for help. She smiled and nodded, trying to assure him that he could do this. He seemed to get the message. He turned around moved forward with a bit more confidence.

Kazu and Kenta did not immediately notice Takato as he moved down the path towards them. To Takato's credit, he did not use this as an excuse to back out at the last minute. Eventually, however, the two did take note of the fact that someone was approaching and their conversation came to halt when they realized who it was.

"Hey, guys," Takato said with a nervous wave, or at least that was what Jeri assumed he said. The distance between them made it difficult to hear exactly what was being said. Jeri was tempted to risk moving closer.

The only way Jeri could think to describe Kazu and Kenta at the moment was that they looked like they had seen a ghost. They looked at each other with wide eyes, likely to confirm that they were both seeing the same thing. They seemed to return the greeting in kind, a little too surprised to know what else to do.

Still struggling to hear her classmates' counterparts, Jeri tried to focus on them as individuals. Again, there really wasn't much of a difference between them and the Kazu and Kenta she was familiar with in terms of mannerisms and how they dressed. Of course, that didn't mean things weren't different under the surface.

Jeri highly doubted that the two of them had it any easier than any of the others over the last few years. Aside from a shared hero worship of Ryo, they had never been particularly close to the other Tamers. Without Takato around, they had likely only had each other since the defeat of the D-Reaper. Jeri just hoped the two had been reunited with Guardromon and MarineAngemon since then.

Shifting her attention back to the interaction unfolding in front of her, she could tell progress was slow. Takato, Kazu, and Kenta all shifted nervously as they spoke, with the latter two still exchanging glances. They then stopped talking for minute, which wasn't really a surprise to Jeri. They had been apart for a while, and were likely unsure as to how they could catch up.

Then the dynamic between them seemed to change slightly. Kazu and Kenta looked at each other one more time before both focused solely on Takato. With a raised eyebrow, Kazu seemed to ask Takato a question. Takato hesitated, scratching the back of his head before going to answer.

Jeri could see the frustration building up on their faces as Takato spoke, and it was then that she was able to figure out what the two had asked their former leader. They wanted to know where he had been, plain and simple. The abandonment they felt was becoming more evident and Jeri knew that any answer Takato would try to initially give would not satisfy them. Even with her, he had been incredibly vague about the specifics of his life since the defeat of the D-Reaper.

As Takato continued to fumble through his explanation, Kenta adopted a stern look that Jeri had never seen him use and Kazu began to bear his teeth. They had reached a boiling point and there was no changing that. All that was left was the explosion.

"Don't give us that crap, Takato!" Kazu yelled angrily.

Takato stopped what he was doing and stayed quiet. Kazu stared him, breathing heavily after his outburst. Takato looked at both his friends before letting his grief show itself. He went to speak again, with the fact the Jeri could hear basically nothing telling her he was essentially whispering. Despite this, Jeri had a good idea of what he was saying. He wore the same somber look as when had explained her counterpart's fate to her.

Of course, this wasn't new information for Kazu and Kenta. They had lived through those events just as Takato had. Rather than react with the shock and confusion Jeri had, they seemed to calm down. They both looked at the ground for a few seconds before looking back at Takato.

Conversation resumed, now seeming to be a bit more natural for the three of them. Even from this distance, Jeri could sense things were different. There now an air of understanding between them, brought about by a shared pain that they were all coping with in their own way. In a weird way, it made Jeri feel a bit better about herself. It was nice to know that her friends would miss her should the worst ever happen.

Feeling the conversation winding down, Jeri decided to take her chances and move closer. By the time she was in earshot, Kazu and Kenta had approached Takato to say their farewells.

"Just don't be a stranger, Chumley," Kazu said cockily.

"We're always around if you ever need anything," Kenta added.

"I'll remember that," Takato replied, seeming a bit more at ease than he had been all day.

Kazu and Kenta departed, disappearing in the different directions they took when they went home. Jeri finally walked onto the path beside Takato. She waited for him to turn to face her before speaking.

"How'd I do?" Takato asked.

"That depends," Jeri answered. "How do you feel?"

Takato didn't respond straight away. He looked down the path for a split second before returning his attention to her. "Okay, or at least I think."

"You think?"

"I know things can't be fixed after one conversation, but maybe given time…"

"They'll get there," Jeri suggested. She knew that what Takato was saying was correct about things not instantly being repaired, but she liked to think that they were on their way to that point.

"If you don't mind me asking, why'd you stay hidden?" Takato asked suddenly. "It might have helped them to see you."

"Or it might've made things worse. This whole situation wasn't exactly easy on you at first."

Jeri tried to get a read on Takato, who ended up staying quiet. He nodded as though he understood, but a slightly raised eyebrow told Jeri that he had a different opinion on the matter. It made her wonder if he had wanted her not just as emotional support, but also a way of reassuring both himself and Kazu and Kenta that things could return to "normal."

"Anyway, what's done is done," Jeri continued, now a bit uneasy. "I'm just glad that you won't be alone once I finally find my way home."

"Yeah…" Takato replied. Despite a weak smile on his face, the tone of his voice seemed a bit weak. It made Jeri feel a knot in her stomach, like she had said something wrong. This gave way to confusion, as nothing she had said was new information to either of them. Takato knew that she wanted to find a way back to her reality, so she couldn't figure out what other expectations he had developed since setting off that morning.

The pair began walking with no real destination in mind, with neither of them speaking. At the moment, Jeri was only sure of one thing: the satisfaction she had felt just minutes ago had somehow faded.


	13. A Question of Trust

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 13: A Question of Trust**

Henry and Alice once again found themselves inside Hypnos's control hub, although this time they had been invited up. Standing behind Tally as she called up some recent reports, Henry felt more anxiety creep into his mind as he skimmed through some of the information. The staff's attempts to better predict the opening of reality tears had yielded different results than Henry had been hoping for.

"They're increasing in frequency," Tally stated plainly. "Exponentially by the look of it."

As much as Henry hated hearing this news, it didn't really surprise him. He had been privy to the reports coming in all day and had noticed the increase. The only difference now was that he knew for a fact that there was a ticking clock.

"Any luck predicting _where_ they'll open?" Henry asked, hoping there was a silver lining to be told about.

"You could try waiting in front of the building," Tally replied. "Because, with the way things are going, one will probably open out there eventually."

"How bad do you think tomorrow will be?" Alice inquired. Henry might have called her pessimistic if he hadn't known they were nowhere close to finding a fix for the tears.

"If this data is correct, things are going to get pretty chaotic."

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before," Henry said flatly, trying to think of something Takato or Rika would say if they were present. "Can you keep us posted?"

"Sure, I'll shoot you an email if the building gets pulled into a hole in reality."

Henry exited the control center with Alice close behind. The split second he paused to rest was just long for her to step in front of him.

"We have to start considering other options," Alice told him. "Options outside of this building."

Henry almost laughed at the suggestion, as it echoed the argument he had had with Terriermon a couple nights ago. The intent behind them had been the only real difference. Since his friends had disappeared, Henry had been mulling over his decision to separate himself from them while dealing with the current crisis. Yamaki had been right when he said there was no way knowing if the outcome would have been changed by his making a different decision, but that was mattering less and less to Henry as time passed. Had he been with his friends when the dark Gallantmon appeared, he would at least know where and how everybody was.

"Renamon suggested asking the Sovereigns for help," Henry said, not disagreeing with the point Alice was trying to make. "It might not be worth the trip at this point, though."

"You don't think they'll help?" Alice asked.

"I think it might be too late for them to be able to. Who knows what kind of damage will be done to the city by the time someone manages to get to Digital World and into the Sovereigns Domain."

"It's still better than doing nothing. What if we don't find another solution in that time?"

"You're right," Henry admitted. He paused for a couple seconds to weigh his option. "The problem is that the only Tamers we have in reserve right now are Kazu and Kenta. Even if I wasn't worried about leaving the city unprotected, the two of them aren't exactly the team's most diplomatic members."

"You could go with them," Alice suggested.

"Talking to the Sovereigns would be a whole lot easier without Terriermon around," Henry joked, which earned him a glare from Alice. "Alright, I'll call the guys. We'll head out tomorrow if things haven't improved by then."

"It's the best plan we've got." Alice began walking towards the elevators.

"Wait a sec." Henry moved to catch up with her. "Did we just agree on something?"

"You'd better not start telling people."

Henry decided to keep quiet and call it a victory for their working relationship. He also wanted a couple seconds to consider what steps he should take next. While he had every intention of following through with what had just been discussed, part of him still wanted to go after his friends.

* * *

With the herd of Monochromon barreling towards them, Suzie took a moment to evaluate her group. Aside from Cyberdramon, who was already getting ready for the imminent fight, their current team was comprised of two Rookies that couldn't digivolve and two more who were still weak from the previous fight. While Monochromon were manageable threats individually, Suzie did not like their chances while fighting this many of them.

Suzie looked to Ai and Mako in the hopes that they could get organized for the coming attack, but never got the chance to say a word. Cyberdramon leapt forward and positioned himself in front of the Monochromon who seemed to be leading the charge. He brought his claws back and wasted no time following up the action.

"DESOLATION CLAW!"

The strike connected, reducing the Monochromon to flakes of data. The rest of the herd veered off a bit, which made Suzie hope for a split second that they would just move by them. Instead, the now disorganized herd came to a sliding halt, with most of them turning around to attack the group again.

The herd charged, now from multiple angles. Suzie quickly lost track of Ai, Mako, Impmon, and Terriermon, who seemed to disappear in the crowd. Suzie managed to dive out of the path one Monochromon before landing on the ground next to Lopmon and her double.

"You think you can digivolve?" Suzie asked her partner.

"Not sure, but I'll try," Lopmon answered. Suzie acknowledged her partner's reply with a nod and reached for her modify cards.

"Down!" the other Lopmon shouted, pushing Suzie out of the way of another Monochromon. While the action saved her life, it also caused her to lose her grip on the card she had intended to use.

"This is stupid!" Suzie yelled as she stood up again. "How are we supposed to fight like this?"

"He doesn't seem to having any trouble," Lopmon replied as she pointed to where most of the Monochromon seemed to be focusing their efforts.

An almost feral battle cry rang out and a single Monochromon flew into the air. A couple more burst into data, revealing Cyberdramon in the middle of the chaos. Suzie was having trouble discerning whether he was in his element or enraged at the situation. The Ultimate brought his claw back again, this time driving it through a Monochromon's armor plating.

"Fall back, Cyberdramon!" Ryo ordered. Suzie turned her head and saw the older Tamer was not more than a few yards away from her. She looked back at his partner, who seemed either unwilling or unable to comply.

Another Monochromon charged at Cyberdramon and managed to graze him with one of its horns. Cyberdramon grabbed hold of its tail in retaliation, swinging the dinosaur upward and smashing it into one of its herd mates. This action, however, left him vulnerable to the fireballs launched by the couple of Monochromon that had managed to flank him.

"This is bad," Suzie said as she looked back towards Ryo. As much as he was trying to hide it, she could tell that the feedback from the attacks was starting to wear him down.

Neither Lopmon said anything in reply, likely because they could see how bad the situation was as well. Suzie looked around the battlefield one more time and still couldn't see where the rest of her friends had ended up. She tried telling herself they were fine and just preoccupied, but part of her was having trouble believing that. The air around her then started to seem a bit thin and her heart started to race. She tried to concentrate on something else, but all she could think about was powerless she felt at the moment.

* * *

Guilmon stopped short just before exiting the alley that he had chosen to use as a shortcut, which almost caused Takato and Henry to crash into him. Takato was about to ask his partner why he stopped, but soon saw the reason for himself. A Gazimon ran right by them with an angry Monochromon right behind.

"Well, that happened," Henry commented as they all exited the alley.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Terriermon asked. "It's not like that's the weirdest thing we've ever seen."

"It was a little weird," Guilmon chimed in.

" _Please_ ; that doesn't even break our top ten."

"Focus, guys," Takato announced. Weird or not, the Monochromon they had just seen was on a rampage and it was their job to stop it. "It's time to go to work."

"What's the plan of attack?" Henry asked.

"When has one of those ever done us any good?" a new voice called out. Takato smiled and turned around just as Rika and Renamon arrived at his side.

"Hey," Takato said softly, blanking on coming up with anything else to say. Despite it only having been a few hours since he had last seen her, having Rika back at his side did give him a sense of relief.

"Hey," Rika returned in kind, which earned them a snort from Terriermon. Rika looked around Takato and at the digimon questioningly.

"What's going on here?" Takato asked quickly, partially to deny Terriermon the opportunity of making the moment a bigger deal than it should be.

Rika returned her attention back to him. "Short version: that Monochromon wants to eat that Gazimon for lunch." She then looked away from him for a brief moment.

"What's wrong?"

" _He_ never showed up. The only reason they got loose was because I waited around for him."

"Don't waste time worrying about that. I'd of done the same in your place." Takato meant what he said, but still felt like they had just been handed a loss. They were no closer to finding Jeri, and would be back to square one once this situation was dealt with.

"Should we digivolve?" Guilmon asked, bringing Takato back to the present and reminding him of the wild digimon they were letting run amuck.

"Not this time, boy." Takato looked away from his partner to make sure he was addressing everyone. "We've gotta limit collateral damage. You three should be fine as is as long we play this smart."

"Monochromon are tanks," Rika added. "Stay mobile and you should have the advantage."

"Try concentrating your attacks," Henry suggested. "That's armor's thick but not unbreakable."

Six nods later and they were on the move again. Fortunately, the two wild digimon they were after had only managed to get another block away. Without another word exchanged, Guilmon, Renamon, and Terriermon entered the fight.

At that moment, the Gazimon had stumbled to his knees and was looking on in terror as the fire built itself up in the Monochromon's throat. However, this left the dinosaur open to a trio of attacks to his side.

"ROCK BREAKER!"

"TERRIER TORNADO!"

"POWER PAW!"

The impacts knocked the Monochromon onto his side, causing the fireblast to shoot off aimlessly. Barely singed by the attack, the Gazimon used the distraction to scramble for cover. Not that the Monochromon seemed to care as he set his sights on the three digimon who had blind-sided him. He roared and released another fireball, causing his three targets to scatter.

Guilmon was the first to recover, charging forward and striking Monochromon on the snout with his claw. Enraged even further, Monochromon brought his tail crashing to the ground, though Guilmon was easily able to dive out of the way.

"There," Henry called out as he pointed to the Monochromon's side. Takato needed no clarification, as he could clearly see a sizable crack in the dinosaur's armor plating left by their partners' initial attack.

"Okay, we have a target," Takato confirmed. "Line him up and take him down!"

Again, everyone seemed pretty clear on what their goal was. Renamon delivered a swift kick to Monochromon's head and managed to vanish before the wild digimon could register what had just occurred. Now disoriented as well as angry, Monochromon turned his attention across the street to his third opponent.

"Hey, horn-head!" Terriermon taunted. "You _really_ suck at this! I betcha I couldn't move at all and you'd still miss!"

Monochromon's only response was to charge forward. Terriermon remained where he was, however, barely blinking at the massive digimon coming his way. Then, just before Monochromon was on top of him, Renamon reappeared and pulled him out of the way. Monochromon couldn't stop in time, and soon found his horns lodged in the building he crashed into.

"Now!" Takato yelled. Guilmon, Terriermon, and Renamon were instantly in attack position.

"PYRO SPHERE!"

"BUNNY BLAST!"

"DIAMOND STORM!"

The three attacks all made contact with the crack in Monochromon's armor. There was a flash and the dinosaur soon was nothing but bits of data. Takato looked to Rika and Henry, getting approving nods from both of them. He then looked back to the street, knowing there was one more thing they needed to sort out before they could move on.

"Is it over?" Gazimon asked as he poked his head out from behind the mailbox he was using for cover.

"Almost," Takato replied. He made his way across the street and over to the wild digimon. "We still have to sort you out."

Gazimon stepped forward and shrugged nervously. "You could look the other way and let me go about my business."

Takato shook his head. "Sorry, but we can't do that. Best we can do is show you the way back to the Digital World."

"You know, with the way things are right now, that's not much better than killing me."

"No, it's not…" Takato looked away from the digimon for a brief second before leaning down to meet him at eye-level. "The thing is, we have no way of guaranteeing that you won't get into trouble if we let you loose on the city. Again, I'm sorry, but we _are_ giving you a choice here."

"Why are you wasting your time?" a voice behind Takato asked. By the time he had turned around, Takato had guessed it was Ruki's and not Rika's voice he had heard. Sure enough, there she stood with Kyubimon by her side.

"It's… kinda just what we do," Takato answered nervously. Ruki didn't seem angry, but she had a determined look about her. Takato looked to Rika for some indication of what her double's intentions were, but her only reaction was to shrug.

"Obviously, but _why_?" Ruki and Kyubimon stalked a little closer. "This guy's a nasty, little Virus-type. What's stopping him from finding his way back here once he gets stronger?"

"Nothing, I guess…" Takato looked back at Gazimon, who was now looking a bit scared again. He knew nothing about the little guy, meaning there was no guarantee that he could trust him. That, however, was beside the point. He turned back around and looked Ruki straight in the eye. "But he deserves a chance to choose for himself. I'm not going to execute him for something that _might_ happen."

"Then move over. I'll do it."

"No," Takato stated, managing to surprise himself with the confidence he mustered. He stepped directly between Ruki and Gazimon, trying to make his intentions clear.

"Excuse me?"

Takato looked around to his friends. In retrospect, it might not have been the best idea to make this stand without Guilmon right by his side. Not that it would have taken long for his partner to cross the street should things escalate, but he conceded he was a bit vulnerable at the moment. Henry stood back and observed, likely trying to figure out the best way to get involved. Takato also assumed he was a bit surprised, this being the first time he had seen Ruki in years.

That left Rika, who looked about ready to jump into the fight as well. It was only then that Takato noticed matching bruises on her and Ruki's faces. He ended up smiling for a split second, partially because of the story he would get to hear later, and also because he knew she had his back. They made eye contact, and Rika seemed to understand that he wanted a chance to handle this himself.

"You heard me," Takato replied. "This is a mistake that I'm not going let you make."

"So you're going to choose now to care about what I do?" Ruki asked. Again, there was the problem. She was still having trouble differentiating him from his native counterpart, and he was letting his own fears stop himself from proving that he wasn't the person she thought he was.

"Look, Ruki…" Takato paused, having no idea what to say next. Getting Rika to change her mind about anything had always been a monumental task, and situation in front of him was made even more difficult by the fact Ruki hated his guts.

"Let me guess," Ruki interrupted before he could gather his thoughts. "You're going to give me some speech about how I'm misjudging you and I should give you a chance. Well, save it! I already got that one from her." She jabbed a finger in Rika's direction.

"Fine, then I won't," Takato said, almost absentmindedly. That was the answer, staring him in the face the whole time. He spent the whole day trying to figure out what to say to Ruki to get her to change her mind despite the fact that his words alone had never gotten him anywhere with Rika.

"Then move over and let me-"

"I never said I was going to move. I'm still not going to let you kill this digimon."

"Seriously, what is your defect?" Ruki growled. She seemed a bit confused as well as angry.

"I guess I'm just too thick for my own good." Takato tried not to laugh, but failed. "I've spent all this time trying to figure you out when I already know everything I need to know."

"You don't know anything about me!"

"Is that so? I know you don't actually want to kill this Gazimon. People like to call you the Ice Queen, but we both know that's _never_ been true. Much as you try to hide it, you do care about what happens to other people." Takato paused again and took a deep breath. He spoke more softly as he continued. "Underneath all the pain, you're a good person, Ruki. One of the best I've ever met."

"Oh, give me a break…" Not surprisingly, Ruki didn't ease up. Kyubimon, on the other hand, released the battle pose she had been maintaining. She looked Takato up and down, while he tried to read her expressionless face. He could never be sure with the kitsune, but he seemed to have her interest if not her cooperation.

"You don't trust me and that's fine," Takato continued. "You have every right to feel the way you feel. Just know that _I_ trust _you_ to do the right thing." Takato looked back at Gazimon, who seemed completely lost as to what was going on. "And if it turns out I'm wrong, then I'll stop you."

Ruki remained still and quiet for a few seconds after that, with fists clenched and expression unchanged. She then closed the distance between them. Takato didn't bother trying to guess what would happen next.

"That sounded an awful lot like a speech to me!" Ruki yelled in his face. She repeatedly poked him in the chest with her right index finger, causing him to flinch every time. She then turned around and walked away. "Stupid Goggle-head…"

Takato exhaled, allowing himself to feel relieved that one obstacle was at least partially sorted. He didn't know if anything would change as they continued their search for Jeri, but he felt hopeful. As he continued his line of thought, Rika and Guilmon approached him with the latter nuzzling his snout against his hand.

"You handled that problem pretty well," Rika said approvingly.

"I've had plenty of practice," Takato returned in kind before realizing what he had just said. "Not that I've _ever_ thought of you as a problem!"

"Just… save it." Rika looked away from him and scratched the side of her face. "I've had a chance to walk a mile in your shoes today and it's been… enlightening." She returned her attention to him. "Anyway, what's next?"

"I guess that depends on what this guy's decided to do." Takato motioned to Gazimon, who looked scared as ever.

"I've definitely decided," the wild digimon said quickly. "I'm ready to go home."

* * *

 _I've got a homework assignment for anyone who decides to review this chapter: How do you feel Ruki's character arc is playing out. Does it feel earned, or does it feel rushed? Stuff like that. I ask because a future chapter has her making a decision that rests on the scene that played out above. Not sure what, if any, changes I'll make based on that feedback, but it would helpful to have either way._


	14. The Way Back

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Way Back**

Terriermon could not recall anyone actually suggesting that the group return to Guilmon's shed in Shinjuku Park. Once Takato had diffused the situation with Ruki, everyone just started to make their way there. Not that they had any other methods of sending the wild Gazimon back to the Digital World, but the whole ordeal seemed pretty uneventful as far as Terriermon was concerned.

At the moment, Terriermon waited outside the shed with his partner's doppelganger, who sat a few steps away from Rika and Ruki. None of them were speaking at the moment. The only members of the group that were absent were Takato and Guilmon, who were seeing off the wild digimon inside the shed.

"So..." Henry said nervously. He made the bold choice of addressing Ruki as he spoke. "What do you think is taking him so long?"

"Who knows?" Ruki replied without turning to face Henry. "Probably patting the little guy on the back and telling him to 'be the best mon he can be'."

"So the usual, then?" Henry smiled, possibly in the hopes of getting some kind of reaction out of her.

"Usual for _him_ maybe." Without another word, Ruki stood up and walked to the path below the shed.

"Did I day something wrong?" Henry asked no one in particular.

"Call it a win, Henry," Terriermon replied. "That's actually pretty warm and fuzzy compared to how Rika talks to me." Terriermon looked up at the redhead in question and she rolled her eyes.

"It would be a whole lot easier to deal with her hating me if she weren't so apathetic about it."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Rika chimed in. "Honestly, I'm not even sure she hates your Takato as much as she lets on."

"So you think we can all make up and be friends again?"

"I... don't know." Rika looked back and forth between Henry and her double, her usual confidence blinking away for second. "Maybe that's just the way I want things to be."

"You're not alone in that." Terriermon could tell that Henry was having trouble figuring out how to interact with Rika. Like with Takato earlier, he seemed to enjoy having people around who were closer to the friends he remembered, but his rational mind was probably discouraging him from getting used to it.

"I just hate the idea that there's something I can do that could drive us apart like this."

"Rika..." Henry paused and refocused his attention on her. "Ruki never did anything wrong."

"Maybe not in this reality, but what about the next one, or the one after that?" Rika buried her face in her hands and sighed. "Things here aren't _that_ different. If you guys can't sort things out, who's to say we would have any better luck?"

Henry said nothing in response, much to Terriermon's disappointment. Everyone was acting all mopey and angsty and he didn't have anything meaningful or profound to say that could counteract that. Renamon was currently out of sight, so he couldn't rely on her to swoop in and say something. In the end, all Terriermon could do was the next best thing.

"You'd better hope you and Ruki aren't that similar," Terriermon sang.

"Why's that?" Rika asked suspiciously.

"How'd you and Takato become friends again? It was right around the time when we managed to convince you to stop fighting for sport, right? I mean, after what we just saw, how long til Ruki has the hots for Takato just like you?"

"Who has the what for who?" Rika shouted as her face turned red, signaling that Terriermon had completed his mission. Before she could get any further, she was interrupted by the closing of the shed's gate.

"Now that that's all sorted..." Takato began before noticing the scenario playing out in front of him. He looked around and then to Guilmon who stood at his side. "Did we miss something?"

"No," Rika stated, though her attention was directed at Terriermon as she did.

"Okay..." Takato returned to addressing everyone. "I say we take a quick break and get back to work."

"We're sticking with the same plan?" Henry asked.

"Until we come up with something better."

"Then I'll head home and see if anyone from your world's checked in."

"I think I'll come with. It might do our Henry some good hear from one of us." Takato then turned to Rika. "I'll meet you at Ruki's place as soon as I'm done. We'll pick things up from there."

"Just don't get lost on the way back," Rika teased as she left the shed to go talk to her double.

 _Yeah, nothing going on there_ , Terriermon thought to himself. He decided to stop poking fun at the teens for the time being. There would be plenty of time for that after the task at hand was complete.

* * *

"No!"

Suzie stood up straighter, now glaring at the battle unfolding in front of her. Her fear and helplessness were taking a backseat at the moment. She was angry, and not just at the herd of Monochromon who were attacking her friends.

"Suzie-" Lopmon began before being cut off.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Lop!" Suzie yelled. "Don't tell me it's not my fault and don't tell me everything's going to be okay!"

For a second, Suzie thought that her partner was going to protest. She seemed confused at first, but then collected herself. Lopmon understood well enough that Suzie needed to get something off her chest.

"What do you need from me?" Lopmon asked with no hesitation in her voice.

"Same thing as always," Suzie answered. Her voice was lower, but she didn't feel any more calm. She clutched her D-Power more tightly, and Lopmon needed no further elaboration. She readied herself for battle, as did her double, who merely shrugged when she received questioning looks from Suzie and Lopmon.

Suzie couldn't decide whether she was driven by a desire to keep the past from repeating itself or just fed up with feeling like a time-bomb. Maybe the answer was both. All the Tamers except her had managed to recover from their Ryo's death, and Suzie still wasn't sure why.

Jeri had assured her that grief came in a number of different forms, and that everyone recovered in their own time. If asked, Suzie wouldn't have been able to say whether or not her time had come, but she knew she couldn't let it hold her back either way. Everyone had supported her along the way, and now it was time for her to stand up and prove their efforts hadn't been for nothing.

Then, as if wanting to put her newfound resolve to the test, a Monochromon caught site of her and charged. Suzie didn't bother trying to dodge, instead choosing to go for her modify cards. She didn't need to consider her choice, having made up her mind the second she took note of the wild digimon. The card she chose had the image of a Digmon on it and, while the Tamers didn't typically use this card for combat, it was exactly what she needed at the moment.

Suzie slashed the card and Lopmon's paws were replaced by pair of sizable drills. Lopmon leapt into the air and brought the drills down on the Monochromon. The drills made contact and broke right through the dinosaur's armor. By the time she had finished, her opponent had been reduced to data.

"Time to get back in there," Suzie declared, redirecting her attention to where Cyberdramon currently fought the majority of the herd. Both Lopmon nodded and complied.

As they were positioning themselves to strike, a pair of Monochromon were unloading their flames on Cyberdramon, who was having trouble recovering. This made these two priority targets. The two Lopmon each chose one to focus on.

"BLAZING ICE!"

Within seconds, the two Monochromon were frozen, which gave Cyberdramon his chance to counterattack. He spun around with swinging claws and shattered the two dinosaur digimon as though they were made of glass. With the tide of the fight changing, Suzie took the opportunity to get to Ryo's side.

"Not bad," Ryo acknowledged. He still seemed a little weak, but Cyberdramon's renewed vitality seemed to be benefiting him.

"I've had plenty of examples to follow," Suzie replied. Not wanting to dwell on the moment, she pulled out her modify cards and began to sift through them. "Any ideas?"

"You set 'em up and I'll knock 'em down."

Suzie needed no further instruction. Pulling a Nefertimon card from the set in front of her and driving it through her D-Power in one motion, she knew how the rest of the situation would play out. The armor digimon's "Golden Noose" proceeded to appear in Lopmon's hand. The rookie then tossed the other end of the noose to her double and the two managed to wrap it around a trio of Monochromon. Cyberdramon didn't need help from his Tamer in choosing his next action.

"DESOLATION CLAW!"

The Ultimate released the full fury of his signature attack and his three targets disintegrated. The two remaining Monochromon ran off, likely hoping to avoid the same fate. Suzie let off a sigh of relief, realizing the worst of it was over.

"By the way," Ryo said suddenly. "What happened to your-?"

His question was interrupted by a single Monochromon flying over their heads. Suzie looked to the direction it came from and saw Beelzemon slowly approaching. Close behind were Ai and Mako, with this reality's Terriermon attached to the former's shoulder.

"What took you guys so long?" Suzie called out.

"Freakin' locals, kid," Beelzemon replied. He seemed a bit weary, but that was more likely the result of the previous fight with the Diaboromon than this battle. "I'm tellin' yous, dis town is goin' ta hell."

"We would've been here faster if Mako could just settle on a modify card," Ai added. She looked at her brother. "I told you you bought too many of those things."

"And I told you to mind your own business," Mako replied as the two came to a stop right in front of Suzie. He presented a hand of cards to Suzie. "Come on, Suzie, tell her all these are useful."

Suzie wouldn't get a chance to answer with words. The two Monochromon who had just run off had had a change of heart. The two barreled right towards them, leaving Suzie only a split second to respond. No sooner had she appropriated a card from Mako's hand was Lopmon in position and putting the effects of the card into action.

"GRISLY WING!"

Lopmon released a swarm of bats on the unsuspecting Monochromon, which ate away at the wild digimon bit by bit and converted them into flakes of data. Now knowing for a fact that the fight was over, Suzie relaxed and returned her attention to Ai and Mako. The issue now, however, was that the siblings were staring at her like she had two heads.

"What?" Suzie asked.

"Suzie, that card..." Ai began, only to trail off as though she didn't know what to say.

Suzie shrugged. "Monochromon are Data-types. It made sense to use a Virus-type attack."

She stared at the Myotismon card in her hand for a couple seconds before handing it back to Mako. While Suzie was playing down her use of the card at the moment, she was well aware of why her friends were concerned. It was not more than a couple days ago that looking at this very card had caused her to have a panic attack. Looking at it at this moment, however, she felt perfectly fine. _It's just a stupid picture_ , she thought.

"You did really well out there," Ryo said, snapping her back to reality.

" _We_ did really well," Suzie corrected him. "As a team."

"Yeah, a team..." Ryo's expression changed to what looked more like sadness than the cynicism he had shown earlier. He turned and walked off without another word.

"Sheesh," Terriermon said loudly. "You'd think teamwork killed his parents or something."

"Terriermon..." both Lopmon groaned.

"What? He's the one with the problem."

"I'll be right back," Suzie told her partner before heading after Ryo. After seeing the look on Ryo's face, she decided that it was time to get some answers. There had to be more to his reluctance about returning home, and she wouldn't be able to forgive if she left while there was something she could have done to help.

Ryo had sat himself down on a rock a couple yards away from where the fighting had taken place. Standing sentinel over him was Cyberdramon, who watched Suzie as she approached his Tamer. The Ultimate's lack of eyes made it difficult for Suzie to judge whether or not he was glaring at her. Either way, he did nothing to keep her from getting closer.

Suzie ended up pausing before addressing the older Tamer, realizing that she had no idea what she should say to him. Up to this point, she had chalked their difficulty communicating up to the fact that they were from different realities. Right now, however, she couldn't even think of anything to say if that hadn't been the case. As much as she hated to admit it, she was realizing more and more that she hadn't known the Legendary Tamer all that well.

Realizing that she was discouraging herself, Suzie shook her head and stepped forward. Her and Jeri hadn't known each other that well either when they started talking, and Jeri had been able to bridge that gap by keeping things simple at first.

"How're you feeling?" Suzie asked softly.

"Fine," Ryo replied, almost as though he were surprised she came to ask. "I'll be okay in a couple minutes. We can start moving again after that."

"Why won't you come back with us?" Suzie decided that keeping things simple did not exclude being straight forward.

"We've been over this."

"No, you gave us an excuse. You never told us the actual reason." Suzie paused for a couple seconds as surprise once again appeared on Ryo's face. She continued when she was sure he wasn't going to respond to her accusations. "If this was really about the others, you'd be just like Ruki. You'd be angry at us and anything that reminded you of your friends."

"What am _I_ like then?" Ryo's surprise seemed to give way to curiosity as well.

Suzie hesitated before answering, but decided there was no point in not speaking her mind now. "You're sad," she answered, rubbing her left arm as she spoke. "Probably because you're lonely. Even with all of us around, our Ryo was the same way."

" _Was_ , huh?" Suzie froze, having not meant to touch on his counterpart's fate. Ryo spoke before she could respond. "Don't try to hide it. I started putting the pieces together after our first conversation."

"I'm sorry..."

"Hey, I never even met the guy." Ryo smiled and shrugged as though he meant what he said as a joke. His expression then became serious. "I'm guessing it wasn't natural causes."

"He went down fighting." Suzie shivered a bit as she recalled the battle from six months ago, but managed to regain her composure.

"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse."

"What do you mean?" Suzie closed the distance and sat down next to him.

"I'm worried that this is all I am," Ryo explained as he gestured to the barren Digital World around them.

"That's not true."

"It's not?" Ryo looked away from her and at the ground in front of him. "I don't fit in anywhere else, Suzie. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I felt like I belonged somewhere."

Suzie looked away from the older Tamer. Whether he had intended to or not, he had answered her earlier question. Ryo was afraid of returning home, plain and simple. He had been a Tamer a bit longer than the others, and thus had spent a lot more time fighting on his own. She was beginning to see his side of things. No sooner had he found a group of kids he could relate to that said group had disbanded, leaving him alone again. Still, Suzie couldn't see why that was reason enough to give up.

"Our Ryo fit in with us when he gave it a chance," she stated.

"Bet that wasn't all the time," the Ryo in front of her countered. "In fact, I bet he was gone just as often as he was around."

Of course, this had never been for a lack of trying on Suzie's part. She had tried on a number of times to connect with him over something that wasn't taming related, even going as far as to try acting like Rika on occasion because she thought it would help keep his attention. In the end, however, that seemed to be a task that none of the Tamers could accomplish. Ryo would come and go as he saw fit, and no one seemed interested in questioning why. Looking back, Suzie was now questioning whether or not their relationship was anything more than him offering her advice when he was around.

"But you don't have to be like that," Suzie claimed, not really sure what else she could say.

Ryo didn't respond right away, instead choosing to look straight at her with a raised eyebrow. Suzie shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though Ryo was looking right through her. "Why is this so important to you?" he finally asked after what felt like forever.

"Like I said, we're a team," Suzie answered nervously.

"No, it's more personal than that."

Suzie shifted again, now having trouble looking at Ryo. She didn't understand why what came next was so difficult. She had easily had this conversation Jeri plenty of times. This moment shouldn't have been any different.

"You gave me my first modify card," Suzie stated softly.

"I remember," Ryo said. "So what?"

"What do you mean 'so what'?" Suzie had reflexively shot to her feet and was now essentially yelling in his face. The outburst had even caused Cyberdramon to take a step back

"I mean I just don't see the big deal." Ryo sounded like he was trying to be diplomatic. "You'd just become a Tamer and I wanted to help you."

"It meant more than that to me." Suzie tried to calm down before continuing. "When I first became a Tamer, my own brother tried to rationalize the whole thing. 'This has to be some kind mistake, Suzie.' 'You can't possibly be a Tamer, Suzie.' It made me feel like I didn't matter."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, Suzie. He was probably just-"

"Trying to protect me? Save it; I've heard that speech before." Suzie sat back down and crossed her arms. "You were the first person to believe in me. I don't care if that moment mattered to you or not. Without it, I'm not the person I am today."

"That's why you came all this way," Ryo concluded. Suzie finally managed to face him again.

"I thought..." Suzie tried to pick her words, but felt like she was out of them. "Honestly, I'm still not sure what I was thinking."

"You were hurting and thought coming here would make things better," Ryo said slowly. "Even after you found out that I wasn't what you were expecting, you thought you could believe in me the same way I believed in you and things would set themselves right."

Suzie still said nothing as Ryo stood up and looked back down at her. She had exhausted every avenue she could think of trying to reach him. If her pleading with him and bearing her heart and soul didn't change things, then it was time to surrender and face reality.

"Well, we can't let all this of been for nothing," Ryo said casually. For a couple seconds, it didn't register to Suzie what he was trying to tell her. Then he extended his hand. "Come on, let's go home."

Suzie smiled, feeling as though everything was about to be put right again. She took Ryo's hand and got back on her feet.

* * *

Normally, Jeri would have been excited by the view in front of her. Rarely if ever did she have a chance to experience a view of Shinjuku's skyline from the top of a skyscraper. At the moment, however, she felt more than ever that she was stranded on an alien world. It didn't help that the building that this reality's Takato had chosen for them to take a break on top of was the semi-constructed Metropolitan Government Building. Jeri wasn't exactly comfortable with idea of being essentially at the spot where her counterpart had died.

"You hungry?" Takato asked, breaking her attention away from the city in front of her. He presented a bag to her. Right behind him was Guilmon, who had brought said bag with him when he reunited with them. Again, Jeri found herself dissatisfied with the version of the saurian digimon in front of her. Guilmon didn't have pockets, let alone money of his own, so she could only imagine where the food had come from.

"I guess," Jeri replied as she accepted the bag. She wasn't really sure. On the one hand, her stomach was in knots and she didn't really feel like eating. On the other, she hadn't eaten in almost twenty-four hours, which was likely _one_ of the reasons her head was starting to spin.

Jeri sifted through the bag's contents, finding an assortment of bread and produce. She settled on a roll and an apple before setting the bag. As she ate, her gaze drifted back towards the city.

"Some view, huh?" Takato said softly. Jeri turned to face him, but he didn't do the same. "I like to come when the workers leave. The quiet makes it easy to think."

"What are you thinking about now?" Jeri asked. Things had been different since the park. While she had her suspicions as to why, she knew she needed more concrete answers.

"What are you really trying to accomplish here, Jeri?"

"I thought that was pretty obvious."

Takato turned to face her, his eyes being enough to tell her how lost he felt. "I think you might be wasting your time."

"That's crap and you know it!" Jeri's outburst managed to surprise both of them. Deciding not to waste time trying to figure out where it had come from, she took a deep breath and returned to her normal tone of voice. "You're not happy like this, Takato. There's no reason for you continue on like this once-"

"Once you leave," Takato finished for her, with a hint of coldness in his voice. He turned away from her again.

"Where is this coming from? I thought we were making progress back in the park."

"Yeah, progress back _there_ , with _you_ basically holding my hand." Takato shook his head and slammed his fist on the ground next to him. He also still refused to look at her, which she hated. Be it with this Takato or the one who was likely out looking for her right now, it made Jeri feel as though her presence was of no benefit. "Do you think any of this will last once you're gone again?"

Jeri stayed quiet, as she had no answer she could confidently give. The problem was perfectly obvious now: he didn't want her leave. Not that he would ever ask her to stay. Despite how broken he was right now, Takato was not a selfish person. He knew she had a life that she had no desire to abandon. As usual, Takato had gotten himself stuck between what he wanted and what the situation in front of him realistically was.

That, of course, left Jeri at a crossroads. She could be her usual self and try to be warm and encouraging in how she tried to set him on a better path, or try to be blunt and hope the message sunk in. Reviewing which method had been more effective with her reality's Takato in recent memory, she went with the latter.

"That's not the real problem hear, Takato," Jeri stated in stern voice, which got his attention. "It's time for you to let go and move on, plain and simple."

At first, Takato didn't react, which led Jeri to think that what she had said hadn't registered with him. Then he started laughing to himself. While not hysterical, this was enough to leave Jeri confused.

"Zhuqiaomon said the exact same thing," Takato said as he collected himself. "Well, not the exact same thing. Pretty sure he called me a 'disgusting human' or something to that effect."

"Zhuqiaomon?" Jeri asked. She couldn't think of any reason why Takato would cross paths with one of the Sovereign.

"Yeah, right after he tried to 'banish me' from the Digital World, and right before I..." Takato froze and fear appeared on his face. If Jeri hadn't known better, she would thought she was looking at realization as well.

"What did you do?"

"It was an accident!" Takato shot back. He was now sweating and looking down at his hands. "I wasn't even looking for him at the time. One second I was with Guilmon and the next we were swept up into a data stream."

"Takato..." Jeri's mind was starting to jump to conclusions, and she wasn't particularly fond of any of them.

"I'd actually been looking for you at the time. Well, not _you_ specifically. The DigiGnomes! I thought maybe they could, well, you know, but we couldn't find any anywhere. Zhuqiaomon wanted us to stop and..." Takato placed his hands on the sides of his head. "It was an accident," he whispered.

"How do you accidentally kill a Sovereign?" Under different circumstances, Jeri might have worded the question differently. At the moment, however, she was scared. More scared than she had been at any point since the reality tears had started opening.

"I don't remember..." Takato was having trouble looking at her. "I just remember being angry and the next thing I knew we were loading his data."

Jeri couldn't think of a response to the story she had just been told. She felt the same way she had when she had seen Megidramon for the first time. After that event, she had promised to never be afraid of Takato again, no matter the circumstances, but she could feel her instincts trying to backpedal on said promise. Based on the fear on Takato's face at the moment, he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

"Jeri, please..." Takato pleaded. "I swear I would never-"

Before he could make his promise, an all-too-familiar alarm sounded. Guilmon, who had been completely still and quiet during their entire conversation, stood up and started growling at the city below. Takato removed the D-Power from his pocket, allowing Jeri to get her first look at it since she had arrived in this reality. The ring around the screen was black rather than the gold she was used to seeing. They looked at each other, both knowing what was coming next.


	15. Honesty

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Honesty**

Terriermon crossed his arms and tapped his foot as Takato typed the email that would _eventually_ be received by Henry at his station at Hypnos. He looked to Guilmon and this reality's version of Henry, who stood over Takato's shoulders. Neither of them seemed bothered by how long this was taking. Granted, Takato had never been as technologically adept as Henry, but Terriermon felt like the Tamers' leader would have at least picked up how to type a little faster over the years.

Takato then stopped typing completely. He leaned back in his chair and scratched the back of his head. Terriermon was about to complain when he stopped to note the expression on his face. Something was bothering him and it had nothing to do with the computer in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Terriermon asked, trying his best not to sound impatient.

"I just kinda wish we had more good news for him," Takato answered. He leaned forward again, more than likely rereading the email so far.

"I don't know what else you could say." Terriermon briefly turned an eye to the email. "I mean, you even told him about the other Guilmon maybe having a cure for Juggernaut. I'm sure that'll make him happy."

"He _might_ be happier to just know everyone's okay for now," the Henry in the room with them added.

"Show's how much you know about him." Henry raised an eyebrow at Terriermon's comment. "You know what I mean!"

"Not all the time."

"Anything in particular you want me to clarify?" Terriermon already knew where this conversation was heading. Henry was trying to get him to revisit the fight he had with his actual partner again despite the fact that he had nothing left to say on the matter.

"I guess I'm just a little confused as to what your fight was about." Henry shrugged, but Terriermon knew from his voice's smug tone he already had thoughts on the matter.

"You and Henry had a fight?" Guilmon asked innocently. "What was it about?"

"Nothing important," Terriermon replied.

"It must be important if it's still bothering you." Guilmon looked away from Terriermon and over to Takato. "At least that's what Mom always says."

"And she's right, Guilmon," Henry confirmed before Terriermon could respond.

"We've been over this already!" Terriermon yelled at his partner's double. "He'd rather spend all his time away from the team, which makes me basically useless."

"You see, I'm not buying that anymore. You jumped into the fight with Monochromon without even thinking and held your own. No, I think it's something else."

"That's..." Terriermon stopped, realizing that he actually had no idea what to say. He shook his head and turned his attention to Takato. "Is there anything else you need to put in that stupid email?"

"Suzie," Takato whispered.

"I already told you that I'm not gonna tell Henry you let her sneak off."

"Not _that_ Suzie." Takato pointed at the doorway and, sure enough, this reality's Suzie was standing there with her gaze fixed on Takato. "Uh, hey there-"

"What the heck are you doing here?" Suzie shouted.

"I could ask you the same question," Takato replied with a weak laugh. He looked to Henry, who genuinely shrugged this time. He had told them earlier that the apartment would be empty.

"I live here!" Suzie walked forward and pointed a finger in Takato's face.

"It was a joke. No reason to get so angry."

"Who are _you_ calling angry?" Suzie leapt forward only to be caught by her brother.

"Okay, Suzie, enough..." Henry began before pausing to look over his sister. "What happened to you?" The question caused Terriermon to take a closer look at the girl and he found she was covered in dust and soot.

Suzie's expression seemed to sink a bit. "I was at a friend's house and a building a little ways away collapsed in on itself," she explained softly. "I'm fine, but the people inside..."

Henry placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder before turning to everyone else in the room. They all knew that a tear had opened in the building, and it had to have been a fairly large one to make the building collapse. Things were getting worse with no real solution in sight.

Before anyone could say anything, Takato reached over the computer and clicked "send" on the email. He stood up immediately after and walked towards the door with Guilmon close behind.

"I'm gonna go meet up with Rika now," Takato said. Even to this day, it still surprised Terriermon how quickly he was able to collect himself given the right circumstances. "Even if we can't find the other Takato, we can at least patrol and help anyone else affected by the tears. Once you have everything sorted here you can come meet up with us."

Henry looked at his sister and back at Takato. "Will do," he replied.

"Seriously, Henry, what's going on around here?" Suzie asked after Takato and Guilmon had left the apartment. Terriermon exchanged a nod with Henry before the two began to recount the events of the last couple days.

* * *

" _Even if you don't feel the same way, it's something the two of you will have to confront eventually_." The words echoed in Rika's mind as she exited the kitchen of the alternate version of her home. Having just finished a conversation with this reality's version of her grandmother, she was becoming a bit irritated by the repetitiveness of the brief discussion. The fact that Seiko had phrased her advice exactly as her actual grandmother had annoyed Rika even more.

The topic she had been forced to talk about was once again her feelings regarding a certain goggle-wearing friend of hers, something everyone seemed to want to give their opinion on. Rika hated that kind of teen drama when it had nothing to do with her, as it made her want to bang her head against a wall. How she felt about Takato also had nothing to do with the threat they were facing at the moment, so their was no justifiable reason for bringing it up.

"It's like some big joke," Rika muttered.

"Rika?" Renamon asked. Walking through the house by Rika's side, the kitsune had been surprisingly quiet given how she liked to tease her as of late.

"I said it's like a joke!" Rika snapped without thinking. "One that everyone's in on except me."

"Takato doesn't seem to be having a better time of it than you are," Renamon offered, which made Rika feel bad for losing her cool. Despite the fun she liked to have, Renamon could and would immediately put that aside when something was genuinely bothering her Tamer.

"Except that might be part of the problem."

The pair made it to the backyard, where Ruki sat in silence with her own partner. Rika hoped that her double would have as little interest in talking this through as she did. Possibly out of having her solitude intruded on, however, Ruki turned to face her as soon as she sat down.

"What's eating you?" Ruki asked halfheartedly.

"Boy trouble," Renamon answered.

Ruki snorted. "No, seriously, what's up?" Rika stayed quiet and looked away from her double. "Wait, you're telling me Rabbitmon _wasn't_ kidding?"

" _Rabbitmon_ talks about a lot of things he doesn't understand," Rika said, trying her best not to snap this time.

"Then why'd it make you so mad when he brought it up?"

"Seriously? I have to get this crap from you too?"

"Hey, you came out here, remember?" Ruki stood up and dusted herself off. "I'd be more than happy to let you and Goggle-head play 'will they, won't they' on your own."

"May I ask a question on the matter?" Ruki's Renamon asked suddenly. No one answered her immediately, which was likely why she continued. "The source of this conflict seems to be a lack of clarity you and Takato have regarding how you actually feel about one another. Wouldn't just asking Takato how he feels be beneficial?"

"Rika is worried that a straight-forward approach may not yield a straight-forward answer," Renamon explained.

Rika was about to protest her partner answering, but stopped upon admitting to herself that that was exactly the problem. Takato had never been a liar, but lately he had taken to avoiding the truth when he thought it was something that Rika did not want to hear. Like with his nightmares, there was the possibility that Takato might deny having feelings for her out of fear. While Rika had no idea how she would react to said feelings if they did exist, she knew she would rather have the truth than continue to put up with this charade.

"I just don't want to give him an excuse to dodge the question," Rika summarized.

"It's recently occurred to me that you may have the opportunity to circumvent that issue," Ruki's Renamon said as she looked back and forth between the two redheads. Rika looked to her double for clarification, but Ruki seemed confused as well.

* * *

Suzie was having trouble remembering when Ai and Mako's arguing had become nostalgic. She wasn't quite able to make out what they were saying until she and Ryo got closer, but the tone was unmistakable. The only real question was whether they were fighting over something trivial or not.

"Why can't you just use your brain for once?" Ai yelled.

"Why can't you just admit that I'm right for once?" Mako shot back.

Suzie looked to Lopmon and Impmon, who both shook their heads. Trivial argument it was. Suzie simply cleared her throat and waited for the two siblings to face her.

"We're just about ready to start moving again," Suzie told them.

"Awesome!" Mako called. "No offense, Impmon, but your home kinda sucks."

"No arguments here, kiddo," Impmon replied.

"Is everything alright?" Ai asked as she looked back and forth between Suzie and Ryo.

"It will be once we get home," Suzie answered as she looked up at Ryo. "All of us."

"So da pretty boy decided ta change his mind?" Impmon asked skeptically.

"What can I say, Impmon? How calm and understanding you were with me earlier helped me see the error of my ways," Ryo said as he winked at Suzie. "Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do."

"Glad ta here it." Impmon place his hands on the back of his neck and strolled off. Ryo was unlikely to receive a more positive affirmation from him.

"I guess that just leaves the trip itself," Suzie said, feeling optimistic for the first time since arriving in the Digital World. She then paused as a random thought popped into her head. "You know, I've never asked you guys _how_ you travel back to the Real World."

No one jumped to answer Suzie's question right away. The digimon all exchanged glances with each other. While none of them looked _super_ worried, they all seemed a bit nervous. Suzie looked to Ryo to see if there was something she missed, but he only shrugged.

"What's up, Lop?" Suzie asked after getting tired of the silent treatment.

"Nothing!" Lopmon replied quickly, which only made Suzie more concerned. "The portal is just a little... out of the way."

* * *

" _Hey Henry, the city hasn't fallen apart on our end, so I'm hoping that means everything's okay on yours_ ," Henry read to himself. He didn't need to skip to the end of the email to know that Takato had written it. " _I'm not gonna beat around the bush. We're fine, but we still haven't found Jeri and don't have any real leads right now. Honestly, I feel like we're running around the Digital World looking for Calumon again. But I guess if our job was easy any group of kids could do it._

" _It's not all bad news. Guilmon, the one from this reality I mean, might be carrying around a cure for Juggernaut. The other you literally just told me this a few a few minutes ago so I'm not sure what that means for us or the tears just yet. Anyway, really wish you were here, buddy. Having two of you around would be really helpful right now. Best, Takato._ "

Henry allowed himself to smile as he sat back in his chair. Despite the fact that minimal progress was being made, he decided to count this message as a small win. As long as Takato and Rika were still fighting, things could never be completely hopeless. He took a brief moment to consider the possibility of a cure for Juggernaut, but decided it was something that could be looked into later.

"Good news?" Alice asked from her station just behind him.

"About as good as it gets around here," Henry replied before realizing what he said sounded a bit more pessimistic than he intended. Probably the result of the extended amount of time he had been spending with his blonde coworker.

"That _is_ probably the only good news we're going to get for a while." If Alice was starting to tire, she wasn't showing it. Still, the sun was going to be setting soon, and that was usually about the time the two of them were dismissed for the day. Henry wasn't exactly running at one hundred percent himself.

"Hey, you pack up if you want," Henry suggested. "It's getting late and I'm sure they'll be asking us to be here tomorrow."

"But _you're_ going to stay here?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Then that settles it. I'm staying too." Alice turned back around to resume whatever it was she was working on. "And don't ever try to unload me like that again. I live in this city too, in case you weren't aware."

"I didn't mean it like-"

"And now you're wasting time trying to explain yourself. Don't you have something more constructive to do?"

Henry decided to call this argument a loss and shut his mouth. Looking over Takato's email, though, he did decide that there was one thing that he could do while he had a minute. At the moment, he couldn't see any harm in sending a reply message.

* * *

Terriermon looked between the alternate versions of Henry and Suzie as their story caught up to current events. The former had since taken his spot at his desk while the latter sat on the bed. The room remained silent for about a minute after.

"I guess that explains why you've been acting so weird," Suzie said to Terriermon, who found himself surprised how well she taking everything. He was fully aware that this shouldn't have been the case, as Suzie had proven herself to be just as smart as her brother on quite a few occasions.

"Pretty much," Terriermon confirmed. "Don't worry too much about that, Suzie. Your Terriermon and I aren't really all that different."

"This one's just got a little more angst," Henry added, which caused Terriermon to twitch a bit.

"I do _not_ have angst! Angst is something stupid that you humans do!"

"Then what would you call the way you've been acting?" Henry was enjoying himself and making no effort to hide it.

"Not that!"

"Whatever it is, it's kind of adorable," Suzie teased. "What's bothering you?"

"He's lonely," Henry stated before Terriermon had a chance to deny anything. "His partner's off losing himself in other things, so he's acting out to get his attention. Like I said, he's like an angsty teen."

"I'm really starting to hate you," Terriermon growled.

"Moumantai, Terriermon," Suzie said in between giggling at what going on in front of her.

Again, Terriermon found himself having trouble figuring out how to respond. He ended up crossing his arms and turning away from the two humans. If he wasn't going to get the final word, he could at least deny further ammunition to use against him.

Of course, then things got quiet and left Terriermon wondering why. He turned around and found that Henry had brought up another window on his desk top. He leaned towards it, wanting to know what was Henry was doing but also not wanting to ask. For better or worse, Henry caught on pretty quickly.

"It's a reply to the email Takato sent," Henry said.

"What's it say?" Terriermon asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"You guys being safe is all that matters," Henry read aloud. "Let's shelve the bit about Juggernaut for now. It's not as important as getting everyone home. And I wish I was there too. I was wrong to just assume I was more use here than fighting with you guys."

Terriermon stayed quiet at first. Henry had just admitted that he was wrong and that Terriermon had been right from the very beginning. Basically what Terriermon had been waiting months to here.

"That jackass!" Terriermon yelled as he commandeered the keyboard from the Henry next to him. There was no way he was going to let his partner get off that easily.

* * *

While the next email to appear in Henry's inbox was not signed, he once again knew exactly who had written it. There was only one being in the multiverse that could have.

" _No, No, No!_ " Henry read to himself, this time reluctantly. " _You do not get to just pretend that everything is okay now just because you typed a few words. Do you really think this is that easy to make go away, or that me being mad was just some elaborate joke? Newsflash: it's not!_ "

Henry sighed, being able to perfectly picture Terriermon angrily typing out this message. It wasn't that he unsympathetic to his partner's frustrations. On the contrary, Henry was sure that he understood them. Still, he couldn't understand why Terriermon had to make a big deal about this while reality was coming apart. There were more constructive things they could be doing.

" _I'm not sure what you want from me, Terriermon_ ," Henry typed without filtering his thoughts. " _I'm trying here, but you have to work with me here. Apologies go a lot more smoothly when you're willing to meet the other person half way._ " Henry reread the message quickly and sent it out.

"More trouble in paradise?" Alice asked. Henry turned around and her looking at him through the corner of her eye.

"I don't think this has _ever_ been paradise," Henry answered. If he hadn't been frustrated with his partner, he probably wouldn't have vented to her in any capacity. "I swear, sometimes I think-"

He was interrupted by yet another message coming in. It being from the same thread, he braced himself before opening and reading it.

" _Don't lecture me, pal. I think you just feel bad now, but once things settle down you'll go right back to what you've been doing. So, in case you and that big brain of yours hasn't figured it out, apology NOT accepted._ "

Henry felt like pulling the hair out of his head.

* * *

" _You are the most impossible digimon I've ever met! None of the evil or wild ones we've faced even compare! You know what, though? I don't need you to accept my apology, because I take it back!_ "

Reading his partner's most recent email, Terriermon couldn't help but grin and feel a sense of satisfaction. He had managed frustrate Henry to point where the two were essentially having a non-verbal shouting match. Maybe now he would understand how Terriermon felt.

This reality's Henry sighed, having been reading both sides of the conversation as it played out. "Is all this really necessary?" he asked.

"You know what they say," Terriermon replied nonchalantly. "An eye for an eye."

"You do know how the rest of that saying _actually_ goes, right?" Suzie chimed in.

"Of course I do. When someone takes your eye, you take theirs right back. That way, you both have the same amount of eyes." Terriermon paused for a second to go over what he had just said. "Or at least that's what Impmon says."

"Honestly, it sounds like you're just being petty."

"That's because he _is_ being petty," Henry confirmed. "You're losing the high ground in this argument, Terriermon."

"Eh, we'll see," Terriermon said as he shrugged. He then began to stoke his chin, trying to decide if there was anything else he could send his partner's way.

* * *

Takato had come to take pride in the fact that he had been able to find the fastest routes to the Nonaka household over the years. Not that this meant he was always on time in arriving there, but it helped to know he could get there in a pinch. He had even been able to take note of the best way to get there when he had Guilmon in tow, like at the moment.

"Okay..." Takato whispered as he peered around the last corner they had to turn. "We're clear."

"Good," Guilmon replied, a little weary from the trek over. "You didn't draw me for sneaking, Takatomon."

"Yeah, yeah..." Takato shook his head as the two made there final approach to their destination. "You got any other requests?"

"Well, now that you mention it, the ability to make my own bread would be great." Guilmon snorted, obviously finding his own joke funny. "Then it really would be 'Guilmon Bread'."

Guilmon's expression then changed almost instantly as they came to the Nonakas' front gate. He tilted his head in confusion, which led Takato to stop and look forward. Standing there was Ruki, who looked at them through the corner of her eye. Takato glanced at his partner, who didn't seem to have anything to offer at the moment.

"Whatcha doin' out here?" Takato asked nervously. He doubted that she had been waiting for him. Despite Rika's reassurance, he wasn't exactly convinced that everything was straight between him and Ruki.

"Had to step out," Ruki answered, almost straining to talk to him. "It's turning into a soap opera in there."

Takato had to pause before responding, taking a moment to review who was inside at the moment. "That... doesn't sound like Rika," he said finally before turning to Guilmon. "Maybe we should get in there." The saurian quickly complied and moved through the front door, with Takato moving to do the same soon after.

"I'm not sure having you in there will help any," Ruki said as he crossed in front of her, causing him to stop.

"Why's that?" Takato was worried that she was going back to blaming him for everything that was wrong with the world.

"Because all that drama is about you. Apparently Grandma and everyone else has it in their heads that there's a thing between you and Rika."

"What did your grandmother say, exactly?" Takato asked, trying to sound as oblivious as possible. While the teasing from everyone else was per usual, Ruki's grandmother knew about Takato's feelings for Rika as a fact, as he had told her about them. He wanted to know if he had to run inside and be damage control.

"Do you really think I care enough to listen to that crap?" Ruki snapped, rolling her eyes afterward.

"I guess not..." Takato tried to laugh as he took a single step backwards. Before he could commit to leaving, however, Ruki looked right at him. What shocked him more was that he didn't receive another glare, but instead an inquisitive stare. Feeling like he was under a microscope, Takato shifted uncomfortably and looked at the pavement at his feet.

"It's true, isn't it?"

"Uh..." Takato tried to raise his head to face her, but was too nervous to maintain eye-contact. It didn't help that he wasn't sure what to say. "What... were we talking about again?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you stupid Goggle-head," Ruki growled as she approached him. "Answer the question."

"I thought you didn't care about this crap."

"That was before it turned out to be something that could be an issue later!"

"Well, then it's not true!" Takato lied as he finally turned away from her. "You see? Now there's no issue."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Ruki called after him dismissively. "It was just another phase. Just like with Jeri."

Takato felt like a rock had just been thrown at the back of his head. He slowly turned back around and found that Ruki was now dodging _his_ gaze. He marched back to the spot he started from, not really sure what his intent was. In the end, he just decided to let his mouth run and see what happened.

"Jeri was _not_ a phase!" Takato snapped, angry but still trying to keep his voice down.

"Oh, please..." Ruki began. Now it was her turn to try and walk away. "Yeah, the you from around here was all banged up when she died, but I bet that was more guilt than anything else. If your feelings for her had been real, you two would be off holding hands or whatever it is dorks like you do."

"It wasn't like that," Takato growled. He couldn't say exactly what had changed since that morning, but was not currently in the mood to just sit back and take what Ruki had to say.

"Then what was it like, huh? Why aren't you with her?"

"Because I want to be with Rika!"

Takato eyes opened wider as his brain caught up with his mouth. He looked up at the Nonakas' gate, too scared to think straight. All he could do was pray that Rika hadn't heard him. Ruki, on the other hand, had definitely heard him. She looked right at him, having finally run out of jabs and comments.

"Was that so hard?" Ruki asked, ending the silence. She stuck her hands in her pockets and looked down the road.

"Yes," Takato answered as he sat down, his back leaning against the gate. At the moment, he was a nervous wreck, and he was only in that good of shape due to convincing himself that Rika hadn't heard anything. His attention then snapped towards Ruki. "Just so we're clear, what I just said-"

"Stays between us," Ruki finished for him. She still wouldn't turn to face him. "Still don't see how that helps you any."

"It helps me plenty." Takato looked over his shoulder, part of him curious exactly what was going on in the house at the moment. "If I stay quiet, there's no chance that I scare her off, or any chance that I can screw things up later and convince her to never speak to me again. Yeah, I know nothing can ever happen if I don't tell her, but at least I'll still have my friend."

"Uh-huh..."

"I'm sorry, and I feel like a jerk for saying this to you of all people, but I have too much to lose right now."

Ruki turned back around, still not looking directly at him. "Look, Takato-"

The universe decided to step in before Ruki could verbalize whatever thought she had. Both of their D-Powers lit up, pointing towards a bio-emergence. Their break was over.


	16. Chaos

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Chaos**

Due to a number of extenuating circumstances, Jeri had less contact with digital fields than her friends did. For this reason, she still found them a bit creepy, and that was without even considering the sensation of passing through one. Henry had explained the science behind it to her once, but all she knew was that they were warm, damp, and made her want to take a shower.

Jeri and this reality's versions of Takato and Guilmon had not yet passed through the field in front of them. Jeri couldn't tell for certain due to the fact that they weren't speaking out loud, but she assumed her companions were assessing the threat inside and deciding how to deal with it. The fact that they were making any kind of plan struck Jeri as odd, as she had never known them to do any such thing when dealing with something so common. She wondered if her presence had anything to do with it.

"Okay," Takato said as he gave his partner a nod. He then turned to Jeri. "You can wait out here if you want." His tone made the suggestion sound more like a request.

"I'm not made of tissue paper, Takato," Jeri replied. She tried not to sound angry, but being sidelined was something she put up with on a regular basis and it bothered her sometimes. "So what's the plan?"

"Uh..." Takato looked like he didn't understand the question. "We're going to deal with that digimon."

"Just like that?" Jeri had concerns about him rushing in and indiscriminately cutting down a wild digimon, especially given his most recent revelation. While she was still a little scared of what she had learned, she knew she couldn't leave him to his own devices.

"Jeri..." _That_ Takato seemed to understand. "We can't just let it go."

"I know, but..." Jeri had to pause for a beat. The Takato and Guilmon from her world fought and killed when they had to, so these two doing so here shouldn't have bothered her. The fact was, however, that this was a completely different set of circumstances and she felt the need to speak up about it. "You don't have to kill it either."

Takato gave her no confirmation, instead looking at the ground for a split second. He collected himself immediately afterward, pulling his goggles over his eyes and leading them inside.

It took all of two seconds for Jeri to spot the wild digimon once inside. Jeri was actually able to recognize it as a DemiDevimon, a small Rookie-level digimon. While her recall of the TV show was not perfect, she remembered DemiDevimon as being both a minor villain and practically harmless.

"See?" Jeri pointed out. "Nothing to be worried-"

The DemiDevimon quickly became aware of their presence, firing a cluster of small darts in Jeri's direction. Thankfully, Takato's reflexes kicked in and he tackled her out of the way of the attack. By the time Jeri could return her attention to the wild digimon, Guilmon had jumped into the air and run it through with one of his claws.

Jeri got back to her feet just in time to watch Guilmon load DemiDevimon's data. With the field around them collapsing and revealing the residential area it had appeared in, Jeri looked at Takato who was a bit agitated.

"Do you see now why I do what I do?" Takato asked as he pulled up his goggles. "That thing could have killed you or someone else."

Jeri found herself pausing again before she could find the words to respond. The Takato she knew would never refer to _any_ digimon as a "thing," and it hurt her a little bit to hear the word come out of his mouth. Unfortunately, that was currently not the only issue so she had to put her own feelings aside for now.

"That attack would have _maybe_ scratched me," Jeri stated, not afraid to sound like she was reprimanding him. "You didn't even give that digimon a chance to surrender."

"And what if he hadn't?" Takato asked, matching her tone.

"Well, that's tough then, but that's the chance we take. We're not murderers, Takato."

"But we do have to protect this city."

"Don't you dare use that as an excuse!" Jeri shouted. Feeling herself getting worked up, she took a deep breath. She wanted to calm down before continuing, but found doing so difficult at the moment. "Not when you spend all your time trying to hide from everyone in it."

Takato was not in a good way right now. He was clenching his fists and sweating just little bit. Jeri wanted nothing more than to help him right now, but she couldn't think of anything to say and there was nothing else within her power that she could do for him. Even if this hadn't been the case, it soon became quickly apparent that their time was up.

Guilmon's attention snapped to the nearest street corner and Takato suddenly became way more tense. What happened next gave Jeri chills, despite it being exactly what she had hoped would happen the previous night. Three teens and three digimon rounded the corner, coming to a halt just a few meters away from them.

Jeri had to do a double take at first, as the group contained not one but two Rikas. One of the two wore a gray trench coat, leading Jeri to assume that this was Ruki, Rika's double who Takato had mentioned in passing a little earlier that day. Both redheads looked like they were trying to maintain their composure, but being who they were, they also looked ready to fight at a moments notice.

Chances of a fight not breaking out seemed to diminish as Jeri's gaze fell on the Takato who had just arrived. His eyes were darting back and forth between his counterpart and Guilmon's. Whether or not this was what he had expected to find, he was not prepared for it. The Takato to Jeri's right simply looked back at him with an expressionless stare.

"Back away from her, now!" Takato yelled. Guilmon took a step forward to stand at his partner's side and seemed just as angry with the whole scenario.

"I don't have to go anywhere," this reality's Takato shot back, speaking with a defiance Jeri had never heard either of them use.

"It's alright, Takato," Jeri said as confidently as she could, not really sure which Takato she was addressing. She settled on the one from her universe. "He hasn't hurt me."

"And I'm sure that's dependent on you doing everything he says," Takato replied.

"I haven't forced her to do anything," the other Takato stated, trying his best to stay calm.

"I guess we're not counting you taking her to this universe against her will," Ruki commented.

"That... was a misunderstanding."

"No, I think I understand perfectly," Takato countered. "I've been inside your head for the last six months!" Takato's last comment left Jeri confused, as they hadn't even known this reality existed a week ago.

"What do you mean?" Jeri asked both Takatos. The one standing next to her dropped his composure for a couple seconds to shrug, telling Jeri that whatever connection that existed between them was not by design.

"I..." Takato paused for a few seconds, which to some extent, was all Jeri needed to know. For the last few months he had been keeping a secret that he didn't feel she needed to be let in on. "I've been having nightmares, and now I know they've been about him. He's not stable, Jeri. I don't know what facade he's been putting on for you, but you can't trust him."

"You can't prove that!" the other Takato said defensively, for which Jeri could hardly blame him. He was being ganged up on at the moment and not given a chance to explain his situation. "Look, I won't pretend to be a picture of health, but don't forget that we're the same person. How do we know that the problem isn't that you're as damaged as I am?"

Again, Takato's initial inability to respond told Jeri everything. She knew enough about his insecurities to know that he wouldn't deny his counterpart's accusations. As good a job as he did at hiding it, he had never fully gotten over his turning Guilmon into Megidramon. If Jeri had to guess, there was a voice in his head telling him he was a monster right at this very moment.

"Why are we even having a discussion about this?" Rika cut in. "We're here for Jeri, plain and simple. You can either step aside or we go right through you."

Whether or not he was he was intimidated by the threat, it did seem to bring Takato's immediate attention back to the standoff. He turned to his left to look at Jeri, and all she could see was conflict. He wasn't ready to let go, but didn't want to cause her any more distress. In the end, all Jeri could do was give him a nervous smile and hope he understood that everything could still work itself out.

"Come on, Guilmon," Takato said to his emotionless partner.

Watching him walk away, Jeri couldn't help but feel as though she had failed to make any kind of difference for him. He was going to disappear and go back his usual way of living. At least, that was what Jeri assumed at first.

"Hold up!" the Takato from her own reality called out as took a few steps forward. Confused, Jeri turned to face him and found that the resolve he had had while staring down his double earlier was gone. Whatever his agenda was, he was not comfortable with it. "I'm sorry, but we can't let you go."

"What more could you possibly want from me?" the other Takato snapped as he turned around.

Now even more lost, Jeri looked back and forth between the two of them. Yes, this reality's Takato had Zhuqiaomon's data which meant he might have power over the reality tears that were tearing apart both versions of Shinjuku, so there was a reason they still needed him. With that said, he was barely aware of the fact that he had struck down the Sovereign, so Jeri could not conceive of a way that her friends could have known about this.

Of course, there was one other reason could Takato have for stopping his counterpart. Jeri hesitated as the possibility played out in her mind. By now, Takato would have some idea of how his double was living; cutting down digimon and hiding away from the world. His sense of morality couldn't and wouldn't allow that to continue. One way or another, he would want to put an end to it.

"You're going to have to come with us," Takato explained. "I don't want to force you, but I will if I have to."

"You couldn't if you tried," the other said matter-of-factly, which caused Jeri's heart to sink. Things were spiraling, and another brawl was imminent if one of them didn't back down. Of course, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Look, let me explain-"

"No, I'm done with your explanations! I'm done with your judgment, and I'm done with you all trying to 'help me'! You all think because you come from this perfect reality that you can fix all our problems here! Well, guess what? You can't! Now step back or _I'll_ go right through _you_!"

Jeri wanted to speak out in protest, but that moment seemed to have passed. As the four Tamers around her got ready to fight, she closed her eyes and turned away. _Now_ , she knew she had failed.

* * *

While Takato regretted how things with his double were turning out, he wouldn't have done things any differently if he were given a second chance. This version of himself was too far gone, and Takato knew this from the second he laid eyes on this universe's version Guilmon. Seeing his best friend turned into a husk of what he once was made Takato feel like his insides had been hallowed out, but also gave him the sense of what needed to done.

No sooner had his counterpart taken on the form of ChaosGallantmon had Takato bio-merged with Guilmon. As Gallantmon, the two of them stood directly in front of their mirror-opposite, neither of them willing to make the first move. This worked out fine in Takato's mind, as it gave the two recently formed Sakuyamon a chance to flank the dark knight on both sides.

"This is your last chance," Takato and Guilmon said as one. "Things don't have to go this way."

Just like during their battle the previous day, ChaosGallantmon remained completely silent. His eyes darted from opponent to opponent before settling on the one who had addressed him. He charged forward with his lance extended, but this action came as no surprise to Takato. In fact, he was counting on it.

ChaosGallantmon's power and speed had been on full display during the previous fight, and Takato was ready for both this time. It also didn't hurt that his opponent's fighting style wasn't much different from his own. Other than being more ruthless, he fell into similar patterns.

This was why Takato knew to dash to the left, so he could be in his opponent's blind-spot where his shield would do him little good. After having successfully dodged, Takato swung Gram upward and cut ChaosGallantmon across his right shoulder. His counterpart tried to pivot around to recover from the blow, but Takato had brought his weapon forward again by that point.

"LIGHTNING JOUST!"

The bolt of energy flew forward and struck true, sending ChaosGallantmon flying down the street. Not dismissing the possibility of an immediate counterattack, Takato brought Aegis forward into a defensive position. Before he could decide to follow up his last attack, _both_ of his comrades made the decision on their own.

"SPIRIT STRIKE!"

Eight multicolored foxes flew right past Takato and hit ChaosGallantmon before he could stand up straight. Part of Takato worried that this was a bit excessive, at least until he reminded himself how much punishment his double had taken in there last fight. Sure enough, he was bringing himself up on one knee when the smoke cleared.

ChaosGallantmon snarled in their direction, and Takato could see the frustration building in his feral eyes. It took him a couple more seconds to realize something else building up as well.

"Takato..." Guilmon said softly, worried by the energy that was massing in front of them.

"It'll be okay, boy," Takato replied. "We just have to-"

Before Takato could finish his thought, their opponent lit up and blinded them. Despite the light, however, all Takato could feel was darkness. He guessed that his counterpart had digivolved, but the form in front still caught him off-guard.

Takato's first instinct was to call it ChaosGallantmon's Crimson Mode, but that wouldn't have been an accurate description. His armor was deep blue and his wings were demonic where Crimson Mode's were angelic. Takato almost felt the need to take back his most recent reassurance to his partner.

In the end, no one was given a chance to comment on the new form that stood in front of them. Takato barely manged to blink before ChaosGallantmon was in their midst. Brandishing a double-sided lance and broadsword, he swung wildly, catching all three Mega-level digimon off guard. As far as Takato could tell, neither weapon made contact with any of their targets, but that didn't stop himself and the two shaman digimon from being thrown backwards by the sheer force of the swings.

Looking at his surroundings, Takato knew he had to make a decision. Aside from Jeri, who remained off to the side but still very much in danger where she was, no other civilians were present in the immediate vicinity. With this in mind, Takato's first instinct was to go on the offensive again and hope for the best.

Pointing Gram forward, he charged towards ChaosGallantmon. Takato expected his counterpart to simply dodge, as he had more than enough speed to do so. Instead, he not only stood his ground, but dismissed his weapons as well. His only action was to raise his right hand and catch Takato's lance in the palm of his hand.

"Uh oh," Guilmon whispered as the two of them registered what had just happened.

ChaosGallantmon then proceeded to tear the lance off their shared arm and crush it into flakes of data. Takato and Guilmon weren't even able to bring their shield around before their double delivered an uppercut to their chest. The wind knocked out of them, the two of them toppled over.

Turning his gaze upward, Takato learned that the only thing preventing his opponent from following up the strike was a storm of cherry blossoms courtesy of the two Sakuyamon. While the attack didn't hurt ChaosGallantmon, it did irritate him enough that he backed away from Takato and Guilmon. Soon the two shamans stood on opposite sides of the darkened knight and pointed their staffs towards him. A spherical barrier formed around ChaosGallantmon, containing him for the moment.

"We're outmatched here," one of the Sakuyamon told Takato. At the moment, he was still too disoriented from the previous blow to be sure which he was speaking to. "We need to regroup and change things up."

With ChaosGallantmon beating on the inside of the sphere that contained him, Takato knew this to be a statement of fact. Not knowing how long they had, Takato and Guilmon instantly made their way over to Jeri. If nothing else, they would get her to safety before the fight continued.

"Did you miss us?" Guilmon asked as they knelt down to pick her up.

"You have no idea," Jeri replied with a nervous smile. She was trying to act as though she was okay, but her eyes told a completely different story. There, all Takato could see was pain at the moment.

 _What happened, Jeri?_ Takato thought to himself. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to verbalize the thought.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the sphere containing ChaosGallantmon shatter, an action that threw both Sakuyamon off their feet. By the time he turned all the way around, his double was looking in his direction. At first, Takato assumed he had his sights set on Jeri again, but that turned out to not be the case upon further inspection. ChaosGallantmon was looking right at his own doppelganger.

The knight flew forward, plowing through the Sakuyamon that tried to get in his way. The shaman split apart into Ruki and her partner upon colliding with a nearby car, meaning they were out of whatever was left of this fight. Takato didn't debate what to do next, knowing all he could do was stand his ground at this point.

He brought Aegis up, managing to deflect the first of his double's strikes. Takato looked to Jeri, hoping she would understand that she should take the opportunity to get clear. Either unwilling or unable to, however, Jeri stood her ground, and ChaosGallantmon was on them again before Takato could attempt to talk sense into her.

* * *

Despite the bio-emergence they were tracking disappearing relatively quickly, Terriermon had little trouble figuring out where he and Henry had to go. He could easily sense a collection of powerful digimon gathered in the direction they were heading, which made the pair of them seriously consider sitting this fight out. Convincing Suzie to so had been a relatively easy task, which was to say it had been difficult but not impossible as it would have been with the version of the girl Terriermon was used to.

Terriermon didn't need to focus much to hone in on the fight as they got closer, as the commotion it caused eventually became audible to even human ears. By the time Henry had turned the last corner, he already knew that ChaosGallantmon was what was waiting for them. Of course, ChaosGallantmon taking on a demonic version of Gallantmon's Crimson Mode was not something he had been expecting.

"So, yeah, I don't have a comment for this," Terriermon said to his partner's double, whose facial expression said he was in very much the same frame of mind.

At the moment, ChaosGallantmon was pounding Gallantmon's shield with his bare hands, and the shield seemed to be cracking under the pressure. Then there was Jeri's presence in the knights' immediate vicinity, which meant that Takato and Guilmon couldn't really do anything but hold their position for as long as they were able.

"We have to do _something_ ," Henry said as he surveyed the scene. There was no doubt in Terriermon's mind that he was trying to formulate some kind of strategy. The problem was that there weren't many options available to them at the moment.

"Well, let me know when you think of something," Terriermon replied, his senses still ablaze from the power and rage going on right in front of him.

Then, possibly aware of their current predicament, Gallantmon's attention snapped towards them. He quickly motioned towards Jeri, which left Terriermon needing little more clarification. Before he could ask Henry what kind of signal they were waiting for, Gallantmon's shield began to light up.

"SHIELD OF THE JUST!"

The massive attack fired at ChaosGallantmon pointblank and sent him flying into the air. Henry used what was likely going to be their only opportunity to move forward.

"Leave it to Takato," Terriermon commented as they made it across the battlefield.

"Sorry, Jeri," Henry said as he firmly took hold of the girl's forearm and dragged her away from the fight. While Jeri didn't seem to resist, she was still a bit out of it and seemed to be dragging her feet a little.

As Henry ran, Terriermon took one last look back at the fight that was about to continue. Both of the knights were getting back on their feet, but Gallantmon seemed to be moving a little bit slower than his dark counterpart. Terriermon wondered if one of them should have tried to convince Takato to retreat as well. Of course, the chances of him listening while his friends were in danger were basically zero.

They had made it a couple blocks away before ducking into an alley to catch their breath. As Jeri stopped to steady herself against a wall, Terriermon hopped off Henry's shoulder and approached her. She was sad; sadder than he had seen her in a long time. He wanted to say something, but none of the jokes that came to his mind seemed appropriate.

Terriermon looked to Henry for some indication of how to act, but found him staring at Jeri like he often did at things he didn't understand. This wasn't a complete surprise to Terriermon. While Henry and Jeri weren't particularly close during the group's first trip to the Digital World, Henry had admitted to feeling somewhat responsible for the events that befell her during that time. Like Takato and Rika, he felt like his more noteworthy experience as a Tamer made it his responsibility to look after the others. Given what had happened to Jeri in this reality, Terriermon could only guess how much worse that feeling was for this version of his partner.

"Hey!" Terriermon called out, seizing his first opportunity to break the silence. "I think staring counts as rude."

"Sorry," Henry replied as came back to the present. "I was just-"

"I don't get why you're acting so surprised. Did you manage to convince yourself it was _another_ Jeri that we've been looking for this entire time?"

"Terriermon..."

"It's alright," Jeri stated before the conversation could go any further.

"No, he's right." Henry rubbed the back of his neck before giving her his full attention again. "After the couple of days we've had, this isn't something that should bother me. Are you okay?"

"No..." Jeri's voice sounded like she was holding back tears. "What did I do, Henry?"

Henry immediately went to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong, but the answer fell on deaf ears. As far as Terriermon could tell, Jeri had already come up with her own answer to the question.

* * *

Takato and Guilmon marched their shared form forward, with no plan other than hold out until either their opponent tired out or they came up with one of their famous last-minute saves. It was times like this that Takato really wished he knew the exact trigger for their Crimson Mode, as the form's flakiness had proved to be detrimental to them on more than one occasion. At the very least, it would have made this fight _slightly_ less one-sided.

Not really having any other options once ChaosGallantmon was back in striking range, Takato brought Aegis back and crashed the side of the shield into his counterpart's head. Given the current condition of his shield, Takato was not entirely surprised when it broke apart on impact. ChaosGallantmon's only reaction to the blow was to growl back at them from behind a cracked face-plate.

"Do you think it'll help if we apologize?" Guilmon asked nervously.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Takato answered.

While Takato wasn't sure if what followed was the worst beating he had ever received in a fight, he was having trouble recalling a specific encounter that was more brutal than this one. ChaosGallantmon sent repeated blows to his head and chest, each one feeling like a train was crashing into him. Despite the pain, however, Takato's mind managed to wander off and wonder whether or not this was cathartic for his dark doppelganger.

Takato did his best to fight back, but was not having much success. He did manage to drive one of his fists into his opponent's midsection, but sense of accomplishment dissipated once he saw the energy building up around ChaosGallantmon's digicore. The blast hit them dead-on and sent them flying across the street. By the time Takato had his senses about him again, he and Guilmon and had dropped out of their Mega form.

Still not able to stand again, Takato looked up at ChaosGallantmon as he stalked towards them. Despite his very likely intent to deliver a finishing blow, Takato found it hard to take this personally. From the feral look in his double's eyes, it was obvious that he was no longer in control of himself and operating on pure instinct. Takato turned away from him for a brief moment, stuck wondering whether or not this would have ended up being his ultimate fate as well.

Takato looked forward again and locked eyes with his would-be killer, which was likely why he was also caught off guard by the golden staff smashing over the knights head. ChaosGallantmon slowly turned around again to face Sakuyamon, more irritated than angry at the moment. The shaman, despite her weapon having broken into two pieces on impact, was not deterred from standing her ground.

"Hey!" Sakuyamon yelled in her dual voice. "You forgot about us, didn't you?"

ChaosGallantmon answered the question by spinning around and kicking her square in the stomach, causing her to stagger backwards before collapsing onto her chest. The knight took another step towards her, and Takato did not want to wait to see what his intentions were.

"Rika!" Takato called out as he tried yet again to stand. He wanted nothing more than to be able to do _something_ , but that didn't seem to be in the cards right now.

At least at that moment it didn't. For better or worse, the sound of Takato's voice seemed to be enough to catch ChaosGallantmon's attention once more. He retraced his steps and reached out, but was interrupted yet again when a small cluster of cherry blossoms flew in his direction.

"No," Sakuyamon growled. "You can't have that one."

The shaman managed to stand, which apparently helped ChaosGallantmon decide who his target would be. He flew towards Sakuyamon, who was already moving to dodge. For as long as Takato could remember, Sakuyamon had always been fast enough to dodge any of Gallantmon's attacks. So when his counterpart managed to clip her before she could evade entirely, Takato could only become more worried about the fight unfolding in front of him.

"Rika..." Takato groaned as he brought himself up on one knee. His heart was racing and his head was all over the place. He wracked his brain again to come up with a way to intervene, knowing he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't. He looked at Guilmon, who was unconscious next to him, and a thought came to his his head and quickly turned into a lump in his throat. He held his D-Power closer to him, trying to decide what he would be willing to give up to save Rika.

By this point, Sakuyamon had just barely managed to regain her footing and ChaosGallantmon was coming around for another attack. Rather than attempt to dodge again, she paused to look at the knight that was approaching her and then over in Takato's direction. Takato could have sworn he saw her smirk before she shook her head and turned to face her attacker one more time. She had made the decision for him.

Raising a gauntlet, Sakuyamon released four fox spirits. While they bounced off their target, that had likely been the outcome she was expecting. In the blink of an eye, ChaosGallantmon's left hand was around her throat and raising her upward. In the same motion, the knight's broadsword materialized in his hand and impaled the shaman right through the chest.

Sakuyamon fell apart, with Renamon's data becoming one with ChaosGallantmon. The dark knight seemed to pause after that to look at the body he held in his hands. If Takato hadn't been so transfixed on the scene in front of him, he might have missed the shift in his double's eyes. It almost looked like he was waking up. He dropped Rika at his feet before turning around and flying off.

Takato didn't care much where his counterpart was going, feeling too broken and empty to make it a priority. He had felt rage when watching Leomon and Ryo's deaths, but that was not what he felt now. How he felt now was cold and lonely. He had promised himself that nothing bad would ever happen to Rika as long as he was fighting by her side and failed to deliver on that promise.

Finally, these emotions were what were dominant in his mind. Ignoring the pain from his injuries, Takato forced himself to his feet and sprinted over to where Rika had fallen. The only thing that kept him from reaching his destination was another body tackling him to the ground.

"Get off!" Takato yelled as he struggled to get upright again.

"Not until you calm down!" the "body" shouted back. Takato hesitated at the sound of Ruki's voice, but knew he had to get past it.

"Not until... Maybe she's-"

"Maybe nothing!" Ruki flipped him onto his back and pinned him down. "She's gone, Takato!"

"It's just..." From his spot on the ground, Takato turned his head towards Rika's still form. "Rika can't be-"

"For Sovereign's sake, you stupid Goggle-head! I'm fine!"

Takato blinked before he slowly turned to face the girl that was on top of him. He looked into her eyes and, as her expression softened, what she had just said finally registered.

"R-Rika?" Takato said softly.

"Do I have to sing for you to prove it?" she replied as she got off him so he could sit up.

"I-I thought-"

"Well, that's a first."

Takato choked back a laugh before wrapping his arms around her. He would normally be afraid to hug Rika without her permission, but he couldn't come up with reason why at the moment. All he knew was that he would rather she kill him than have to live another second in a world without her.

"I'm not going anywhere," Rika whispered as she finally embraced him as well.

"But that means..." Takato began to say as they separated. Rika dodged his gaze and his heart sank. He turned and looked at the girl lying on the ground behind him, who he now knew to be Ruki. The cold and lonely feeling from before managed to find its way back to him.

* * *

 _Too melodramatic? Anywho, normally I wouldn't do an extended A/N section breaking down one of my own chapters, but Ruki's death is a big deal that deserves more than the one-note pieces of trivia that I usually include here._

 _First off, there's the manner in which it occurred. This story has spent a lot of time emphasizing the bad blood between Ruki and her reality's Takato. It might seem weird to do that then not have some real interaction between the two, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt there wouldn't be one. Ruki has made up her mind about him at this point, and she never struck me as the character who would want to have a long discussion about her feeling, especially with him of all people. Then there was also the matter of my writing itself. In case you all haven't noticed, this fic has been VERY dialogue heavy, and I liked the idea of one of this story's key events being light on the stuff. Ruki speaks through her actions here and that seems right to me. I also really came to love the idea of her final action being to literally save Takato from himself._

 _Then there's the fact of it. Ruki's death has been set to occur here since I posted the very first chapter. That's not to say I didn't consider changing my mind, on the contrary, I actively did. As of this posting, I have no regrets about killing Ryo back in_ Just a Universe Apart _, but I have since had wondered if there were other ways to create the same drama I needed for that moment. Regarding this chapter again, I felt like Takato (the "bad" one) needed to do something he couldn't take back. There was a brief moment where I thought about having him kill this reality's version of Henry instead, as there was a lot of story implications there that appealed to me. Ultimately, however, Ruki's death ended up fitting in more with where the rest of the story will go._

 _Of course, I am aware that's just my reasoning for the choices I've made here. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the actual execution._

 _And yes, I'm aware that form I refer to here as ChaosGallantmon is actually Gallantmon Chaos Mode, but brevity won out there._


	17. Aftermath

_Well, it wasn't my intent for the last chapter to be the last one of the year, but I guess things got away from me. So, uh..._

 _Happy New Year?_

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Aftermath**

"Rika? Are you still there?"

Rika came back to reality as she heard her name through the phone in her hand. This had pretty much been the case for everyone since the fight had ended. Not that this was any consolation for Rika. She had been through plenty of close calls before, and even lost a few friends along the way. She hated that she was letting this loss get to her in this way.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jeri," Rika answered finally. "How are you holding up?"

"Everyone's staring at me," Jeri replied quietly. When everything had settled down, she had ended up back at Henry's apartment, and Rika doubted that Henry would have been able to keep quiet about alternate realities at the point. "They all know I don't belong here."

" _None_ of us belong here." Rika looked around the alternate version of her home's kitchen. While being here felt off before, it felt completely wrong at that moment. Unfortunately, this was where they needed to be right now.

"Where's Takato?" Jeri asked, sounding eager to change the topic of conversation.

"Hiding out in the guest room. He's not taking this well." Rika leaned back against the wall, pausing long enough to rub her free hand against her temple. "I don't know how to help him."

"The two of us should start a club." Jeri went quiet for a few seconds. Having watched her build up her confidence over the years, hearing Jeri sound so lost felt like a loss on its own to Rika. "You'll think of something."

"You know what happened wasn't your fault, right?"

Jeri hesitated before replying. "I'm happy you're alright, Rika. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay," Rika said before Jeri hung up. She slowly placed the phone on the receiver and left the kitchen. The rest of the house was quiet, which made Rika uncomfortable despite this often being the case in her own home. At the moment, the silence felt like the house's way of screaming at her.

One section of the house seemed to calling out to Rika particularly loudly: Ruki's bedroom. Almost acting on autopilot, Rika slid the door open and entered. She couldn't decide whether or not to be surprised by the fact that it was identical to her own.

Now second guessing her decision to intrude on her double's space, a chill ran down Rika's spine. She rubbed her arms for warmth, which led to the realization that she was still wearing Ruki's trench coat. She anxiously pulled it off, now feeling like it was burning her skin. Before she could throw the coat on the ground, however, she paused to reconsider.

 _Get a grip_ , Rika thought as she stared at the article of clothing in her hand. She had been through too much over the years to let this be the thing that broke her.

"You know, I'm not sure why she wore that stupid thing either."

Rika turned around immediately, finding this universe's version of her grandmother standing in the doorway. Rika gave no immediate reply to Seiko's comment, finding it difficult to even move while under her gaze. Rika could only stare back, at first thinking that the woman was surprisingly calm. Then she got a look at Seiko's eyes and realized how wrong this assessment was. She had been crying, and had probably only stopped because of how exhausting the act could get after enough time.

The immediate aftermath of the battle with ChaosGallantmon had actually been relatively easy. Local authorities did eventually show up, but had no trouble accepting that Ruki's death had been caused by a wild digimon. The officer who took their statements didn't even question Rika's claim that Ruki was her twin sister.

It was returning to the Nonaka residence that was the difficult. Takato had allowed his misplaced sense of guilt take over, which meant that it had fallen to Rika to break the news to Seiko. It ended up being the single most difficult conversation Rika had ever had, with there even being a brief moment where Rika had almost broken down as well.

"I'm sorry..." Rika began, still sifting through her own mind to find the right thing to say.

"For what?" Seiko asked as she moved into the room. She gently took the coat from Rika's hand and brought it over to the closet. She then slowly and deliberately pulled a coat-hanger out and stored it away.

"I just..."

"It was out of your hands. Besides, it was never _your_ job to look after her."

"Grandma..." The word had forced its way out of Rika's mouth.

In a movement that was surprisingly quick for someone her age, Seiko closed the distance between them. It took Rika another half a second to realize that she had been pulled into a hug, and she had no urge to resist at that point. She ended up leaning forward and wrapping her arms around her grandmother's double.

"What about Mom?" Rika asked, deciding not to worry about this slip.

"She gets home tomorrow," Seiko answered. "I... I can't tell her over the phone."

Rika's heart sank at the response. After seeing Seiko's reaction earlier, she wasn't sure she would be able to handle that reaction from any version of her mother.

"Is there anything I can do?" Rika asked hesitantly.

"There is one thing," Seiko said as they parted. For the first time Rika could remember, Seiko seemed to be having difficulty facing her as they spoke. "The two of you can stay for the night, but I think you should leave in the morning. When your... When my daughter gets home, I feel like this would be easier on all of us if you weren't here."

Rika found herself unable to give any kind if verbal confirmation. She nodded and Seiko, likely understanding how difficult the situation was, didn't push the conversation any further. They exited the bedroom together before parting ways. Rika waited until they were out of each other's sight to sit down and lean her back against a wall. All she really wanted at the moment was to go home, but she knew their work wasn't done yet.

"Renamon?" Rika called out softly. The kitsune instantly materialized by her side just like always, but Rika could tell something was off by the way she carried herself. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Renamon replied. "I'm sorry... I needed some space to process what happened."

"You don't have to apologize. It's not everyday that you get to watch your own death."

"Trust me; I came to terms with my own mortality long ago."

"Well, I haven't." For Rika, watching Ruki die hadn't been half as difficult as watching her partner's doppelganger get loaded. Rika had always accepted the possibility of her own death as an occupational hazard, but Renamon's was a different story. Her partner was her rock, and the thought of once again being without her had stopped Rika cold. Thinking about it, Rika realized Renamon's thoughts were probably along the same lines.

"I guess that means I should try to stay alive," Renamon said casually. "Do you have something on your mind?"

"Too many things to count right now," Rika answered as she stood up. She approached Renamon, hesitating for second before embracing her. "First and foremost is making sure you're still here."

"You're doing a lot of hugging today."

"And you're... really soft. Mom hasn't got you using one of her conditioners, right?"

"I can assure you that _that_ is all natural."

Rika managed a small chuckle before letting the kitsune go. Her own family was still intact, so Rika still had something to fight for. She felt some guilt for the thought given her location, but found mostly solace in it.

"Maybe it's time you got some rest," Renamon suggested. "We've had a long day."

"Not just yet," Rika said as she looked in the direction of the guest bedroom. "I think I've got one more conversation to have tonight."

* * *

After the day she had had, Suzie assumed that a quiet and uneventful walk would be a good thing. Looking around the cave that she and her friends were moving through, however, all she really felt was boredom. She checked the digital clock on her D-Power, confirming that they had literally been walking for hours.

"Just a little out of the way, huh?" Suzie said mockingly as she looked up at her partner, who was riding on top of her head.

Lopmon shrugged. "At least we're almost there," she replied.

"You've been saying that since we entered this stupid cave." Suzie's shoulders slumped down as she stared into the darkness in front of her. "Why would anyone bury a portal this far underground?"

"I guess it's so wild digimon don't stumble on it," Ryo suggested.

"And you're telling me you don't know anything about this portal?"

"Never needed it."

Suzie was going to ask him to clarify, but decided there was no point. Ryo had always had his secrets and would likely give a vague response. As much as she wished their heart-to-heart would change that, she knew better.

"I've got a better question," Mako called out suddenly.

"Shoot, kiddo," Impmon replied.

"This portal connects to the one under the shed, right? Then how come we got dropped in the middle of nowhere when we came the other way?"

"Because digignomes suck." Impmon's comment was immediately followed by affirmations from the rest of the group.

The group went silent again as they rounded another corner. Despite the fact that she knew she was looking at the portal, Suzie couldn't believe what she was looking at. Right in the middle of the cave was an exact replica of Guilmon's shed, right down to the holes and claw marks placed there by the saurian.

"How do you guys not mention this once after all these years?" Ai asked the digimon.

"Would you have believed us if we had?" Lopmon asked in return.

Suzie was the first to step forward, approaching the gate and pushing it open without much effort. They all piled into the shed and gathered around the hole where the portal would have been located for its Real World counterpart. A familiar glow confirmed they had found what they were looking for.

"Okay," Suzie said as she looked around the group. "Who's first?"

* * *

Terriermon tracked Jeri as she left the phone in the kitchen and sat down on the couch. Since their return to the apartment, she had been quiet and wasn't giving much indication of how she was feeling. Her only actions had been to send some information she had learned back to Hypnos and then her brief phone-call to Rika. Not that anyone else had been particularly talkative either.

The Wongs seemed pretty put off by Jeri's presence, with even Janyu having a difficult time accepting the tale that had been told to him. Only Henry and Suzie's counterparts allowed themselves to approach her, though the latter seemed to do so more out of curiosity. She would have barely had a chance to meet this reality's Jeri, so the impact of having this Jeri here was probably not as prevalent.

Henry, who sat himself on the opposite side of the couch, seemed to almost share Jeri's current state of mind. News of Ruki's fate had hit him hard, and the fact that it had been carried out by a feral Takato made it worse. Everything he knew had once again been thrown out the window, and Terriermon had nothing within his power to do that could make things better.

It was for that reason that Terriermon chose to approach Jeri first. She hadn't lost anyone close to her today, so getting through to her would end of being less of an uphill battle. If luck allowed, Terriermon could also use her help in figuring out how to talk to everyone else.

"Hey," Terriermon said as he pulled himself up on the couch. "I know what I said yesterday, but I wouldn't mind talking now."

Jeri turned acknowledged him by looking in his direction, but remained silent. The fact that she wasn't unresponsive like she was after Leomon's death seemed like a good sign to Terriermon. He decided to keep going and see what came of it.

"I mean, we don't have to talk about me," Terriermon continued, scratching his left ear as he spoke. "What are _you_ thinking about?"

"I don't think I can help him anymore," Jeri answered, looking away from him as she spoke.

"You _can't_ help him," Henry said before Terriermon could reply. "There's no going back now."

"Yeah, but..." Terriermon looked back and forth between the two, trying to figure out how to fight their pessimism. "That doesn't mean that everything is over. I know we lost that last fight, but it's nothing we can't come back from."

"It's not about whether or not we can 'come back,' Terriermon. It's about _how_ we do it."

"You guys are starting to lose me."

"We're not fighting an evil digimon out to destroy the world," Jeri explained. She paused before digging her fingernails into her knees. "There should be more options than kill and die."

"Well, sometimes that's just how things pan out," Henry stated, not looking at Jeri or Terriermon as he spoke. "Something completely out of your control happens and you get stuck living with the consequences."

"It's not fair."

"When has _anything_ we've _ever_ been through been fair?" Terriermon asked, losing patience with the two humans he was sitting between. "Again, I'm not seeing the distinction."

"That's the point." Jeri looked past Terriermon and over to Henry, who still wasn't looking at either of them. "You'd think things would eventually balance out."

"So you want to quit because everything is exactly the same as it's always been?"

"I never said I was quitting." Jeri looked back at Terriermon, with a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite describe. While he wouldn't say she had her spirit back, there did seem to be something going on in her head.

Whatever it was, however, it wasn't something he could figure out on at the moment. Despite the minimal amount of fighting he had done that day, Terriermon felt exhausted. He plopped himself down on the couch, deciding someone would figure out how to move forward tomorrow.

* * *

Henry leaned against the counter in one of the break-rooms at Hypnos. He had just received another update from his friends, and a lot of information had just been thrown at him. Of most interest to him and his coworkers was the news that the alternate reality's Takato had loaded the data of a Sovereign, which made him a possible solution for the reality tears they were trying to stop.

For a number of reasons, Henry found himself pausing on that thought. First and foremost, that version of Takato was apparently in the wind. Henry was considering abandoning his detour to the Digital World in favor of heading through one of the tears to join his friends, but finding his friend's double was potentially just as difficult a task as journeying to the Sovereigns' Domain. Also, just because Takato's doppelganger had Zhuqiaomon's data didn't mean he would be readily able to use it.

Henry shook his head to bring his thoughts back to the present. He preferred to keep his mind on the things he could still affect. He turned to leave the full intent of going back to work only to find Alice blocking his way out.

"Hey..." Henry said. He hadn't heard her enter the room.

"Someone's on another planet," Alice observed, confirming she had been standing there for a bit.

"Yeah, well I'm on my way back to Earth now." Henry moved to leave but Alice stood her ground.

"To do what? Do you really think you're going to think of something new at this point?"

"I can't just-"

"You can't do anything." Alice hesitated before continuing. "None of us can. The only thing we have left to do is wait until tomorrow." They were both silent for a few seconds after that, as though both of them were waiting for the other to point out the elephant in the room.

"I'm not going to the Digital World tomorrow," Henry confessed. "First chance I get I'm going after my friends."

"Yeah, I guessed that," Alice replied. "The look on your face while reading that last email made it pretty obvious."

"Are you going to try and talk me out of it?"

"Only for tonight." Alice moved towards one of the room's armchairs before gesturing towards a couch across the room.

Henry didn't need any clarification, and didn't really disagree with the sentiment either. He was tired, and knew he wouldn't be much good to his friends until he got at least some rest. He sat himself down before turning back to his coworker.

"Where do you think it all went wrong?" Henry asked, the question almost coming out on its own.

"Could you be more specific?" Alice asked back. At first, he thought she was being dismissive of his question, but Henry soon realized she was starting to nod off.

Henry's mind wandered back to his friends. All of them, including Jeri, were safe and accounted for, but the whole scenario wasn't sitting right with him. Hearing that the alternate reality's version of Takato had killed its version of Rika was something that Henry was still having trouble digesting.

He couldn't exactly put his finger on why, as his _actual_ friends were fine and the same as they ever were. Perhaps it was the contrast itself that bothered him. He had spent the last two years watching his two best friends dance around their feelings for each other, so he had trouble believing their was any set of circumstances where one harming the other in any capacity was a possibility.

"I'm not sure..." Henry answered, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to sort his thoughts. "The other Takato, for starters. I can't figure out how things could have spiraled for him like that."

"It's not really my place to say," Alice said softly. "Best I can do is guess."

"Guess away, then." There was silence, which led Henry to assume Alice was just going to end up ignoring him.

"Earlier, you asked why I moved here," Alice began, which caught Henry off guard a bit. "After I lost Dobermon, nothing back home felt the same. I couldn't concentrate in school, I had trouble talking to my parents... You know, the whole nine yards. Then this position opened up."

"You wanted a change of pace?" Henry asked.

"Not exactly..." Alice paused again. "For me, it wasn't about change so much as finding something else to concentrate on. I think that's where your friend's double went wrong; he never found a way to move on."

"Has being here helped at all?"

"I'm not sure yet."

The conversation stalled after that. Given what he knew about Takato, Henry couldn't argue with Alice's logic. The only real consolation he had was the girl's presence at Hypnos. Despite her scars and personality flaws, she was here and trying to make an effort. Of course, as much as Henry didn't want to believe it, the other Takato sounded too far gone for any of this to help.

Henry looked to Alice one more time, not really sure if there was anything else to say. Not that it would have mattered if something had come to mind. The girl had finally fallen asleep, which Henry took as a sign to do the same.

* * *

Takato couldn't bring himself to move from the futon he was sitting on top of. It didn't help that part of him felt like he _shouldn't_ move either. The image of his double killing Ruki would be forever burned into his memory and a reminder of the time-bomb he was. Everyone was trying to maintain that the he was nowhere close to becoming his counterpart, but Takato knew better.

The truth was, in the brief eternity that he had thought Rika had died, he finally understood his doppelganger. The sense of failure and emptiness that Takato had felt in that moment eclipsed everything else. He hadn't cared what he would become next, because something that he assumed would be a fixture in his future had been removed from the world.

Takato looked to his right, where Guilmon sat staring at him. He hadn't moved or spoken since their return either, but also refused to leave his partner's side. Takato shook his head, realizing it was this sense of loyalty that turned Guilmon's double into the shell that he currently was.

"Get some rest, boy," Takato ordered halfheartedly. "I know you're ready to collapse."

"What about you?" Guilmon asked, sounding a little scared as he did.

"I really don't think sleeping will do me any good tonight."

Guilmon's ears drooped and he looked away from Takato for a brief second. Despite it not being his area of expertise, he was likely still trying to figure out what he could say to make things right. To the saurian's credit, he did occasionally accomplish this task.

"This wasn't your fault, Takatomon," Guilmon stated.

"She'd still be alive if we never came here, Guilmon," Takato countered.

"Yeah, but we only came here because we needed to save Jeri." Guilmon scratched the side of his face before locking eyes with his partner. "Just... promise me you'll remember that tonight."

"Guilmon..."

" _Promise_ , Takatomon!" Guilmon tilted his head and his eyes somehow managed to get wider.

"Okay..." Takato nodded and tried to smile. "I promise."

Takato never got a chance to find out if the assurance helped alleviate Guilmon's concerns. The digimon quickly turned around dropped to the floor. He was snoring a split second later.

Looking at things rationally, Takato knew that what Guilmon had said was right. Still, just because the whole situation wasn't his own fault didn't mean he could push it from his mind. Nothing that had been said or done had convinced him that his double's present couldn't become his own future.

Takato then had his attention snapped forward by the room's door sliding open. Rika stepped in slowly before closing the door behind her. Neither of them said a word as she sat herself on the futon next to him, with Takato unable to take his eyes off her as she did.

Not that this was unusual for him to do, even on a normal day. Takato often wondered if his feelings for Rika came from the fact that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, or if he thought she was beautiful because of his feelings for her. He did note that she hadn't put her hair back up since separating from Renamon, something she never forgot to do. If that wasn't a sign that Rika had a lot going through her head, Takato didn't know what was.

"Look..." Rika began. "I'm not gonna ask you how you're doing, because I already know the answer to that question. I just want to know what I can do to help."

Takato didn't come up with an answer right away. A voice in the back of his head wanted to ask her to never leave his side again, but he knew that request was unrealistic and a bit too melodramatic for Rika's taste. Looking into her eyes, however, he soon realized that all he needed from her was for her to be herself.

"Just be honest with me," Takato said. "Why'd she do it?"

"Why _wouldn't_ she do it?" Rika replied, with the slightest hint of irritation in her voice.

"Because she hated me."

"She didn't hate you, and I know that because _I_ could never hate you." Rika paused, likely waiting for a response that never came. "Even though you try your best to change that sometimes."

"I'm sorry..." Takato finally looked away from her and over to the door. He was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight. So much had happened today, and that was before the fight with his other self.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's just who you are."

"I just... I don't know what we do next."

"We do whatever it takes to stop him," Rika said definitively, regaining Takato's full attention.

"But, Rika, that's how he started." Takato shook his head. "We can't be indiscriminate like that."

"Well, I never said we should be!" Rika snapped, leaving Takato unsure if he should be surprised by her outburst. "You see, that's the problem with _both_ of you. Even now, you want everything to be black and white. I'm sorry, but real life doesn't work like that!"

"Then how does it work?"

"You make a decision, that's how!" Rika stopped for beat, then continued more calmly. "Yeah, sometimes our options suck and we have to do things we don't want to. But that just means it's on us to always do the right thing when we do have the choice."

"Sometimes I wish it was on someone else to make these decisions." Takato looked at the ground in front of them, knowing that would never be the case.

"Then I'll try to simplify things for you," Rika said softly. Before Takato could react, her hand wrapped itself around his and her head found its way onto his shoulder. "When we face him tomorrow, just be you, and I promise things will work themselves out for the best."

"R-Rika..." Takato said nervously as he tried to adjust to her current proximity to him.

"What?" Rika asked as she looked back at him. Irritation seemed to be finding its way back into her eyes.

Takato found himself unable to come up with a genuine response. Thinking about it some more, however, he managed to rationalize that that was for the best. After all, this was exactly what he had wanted for months and was not about to throw it away because of nerves. All he had to do was play it cool.

"Nothing," Takato answered quickly as he leaned into her as well. "I was just wondering if that offer for you to sing was still on the table."

While Rika didn't pull herself away from him, her hold on his hand instantly turned into a vice-grip. Takato winced in pain, but managed to push past it. He simply told himself that this was her way of reminding him that she was here to prevent him from being such a Goggle-head.


	18. Reunion Tour

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Reunion Tour**

Rika looked up the staircase that led to Guilmon's shed, waiting for the indication that it was safe to move inside. Not that she was expecting any real danger to be waiting for them, as this reality's version of Takato was unlikely to return here of all places. It was the Takato standing next to her that she was more concerned with at the moment.

Rika chanced a glance towards him, resulting in them briefly making eye-contact before they both quickly turned away from each other again. This had more or less been the extent of their interactions since leaving the Nonaka household. For a list of reasons that Rika wished she could forget, the pair of them were having trouble figuring out how to start a conversation.

Probably part of the issue was what was hanging between them at the moment. Rika was now starting to regret forcing Takato to admit to having feelings for her. The information was out there now and neither of them knew what to do with it. While Rika trusted Takato to be able to keep things bottled up for the time being, she was concerned as to whether or not this was where their friendship was heading once this world-ending crisis was averted.

Before things could become any more awkward, but still not soon enough for Rika's liking, Renamon reappeared from her reconnaissance of the shed. She didn't say anything immediately, at first taking a couple seconds to take in the situation between the two teens in front of her.

"You find anything?" Rika asked, trying to not sound too eager.

"The shed was empty," Renamon stated.

"And you're positive you didn't see anything?" Takato added, sounding eager himself.

"Well, that depends," Renamon answered as a slight smile came to her face. "Are you still asking about the shed or if I saw anything of note back at the house?"

"N-Nevermind..." Takato began to turn red as Rika felt her own face start to heat up.

Rika took the opportunity to move past her partner and up to the shed. Renamon was obviously referring to another reason why things were awkward that morning. Rika had accidentally fallen asleep next to Takato and had woken up with her head nuzzled against his neck. She had no idea how it had happened but, again, she wanted to forget about it.

The four of them moved into the shed and Rika chose a wall to lean against. Even with Takato's double missing, this was the meeting place they had agreed to with Jeri and Henry, so they would have to wait for their arrival before picking another destination.

"What's the matter, boy?" Takato asked suddenly, causing Rika to turn her attention to Guilmon. She found the saurian sniffing the walls and floor of the shed.

"They haven't been here," Guilmon answered.

"Yeah, we established that," Rika commented.

"No, I mean not in a _long_ time," Guilmon clarified before looking back at Takato. "I can smell us, but not them at all."

"You're saying you can smell the difference?"

"Not in the literal sense," Renamon explained. "But I think Guilmon's right. If I had to guess, I'd say they haven't been back here since returning to the Real World."

"But why not come back here? Seems like it would be a reliable enough safe house."

"Because then good memories don't have to be tainted," Takato said. He was trying to smile, but Rika could tell from his tone that he was completely serious. She decided not to go any further into the subject.

"Okay, but where does that leave us?" Rika asked no one in particular. "By that logic, all the usual places to look are out."

"He wasn't exactly in that stable a frame of mind either." Takato turned to the shed's entrance and looked outside. "He might of left the city entirely."

"What about your dreams?" Rika suggested.

"What do you mean?" Takato turned back towards her, nervous for whatever reason.

"Your nightmares are connected to him, right? Did you see anything last night that could tell us where he's heading?"

"Well, you see, about that..." Takato scratched the back of his head as an innocent smile found its way to his face. "I didn't _actually_ have any nightmares last night."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Rika muttered as what she had just been told sunk in. "So, basically, we don't have any way of-"

The thought was interrupted by noise coming from the hole in the middle of the shed. The four of them exchanged nervous glances, all likely worried that something had found its way through the portal. Renamon disappeared and then quickly reappeared, now holding up a small, purple digimon by his tail.

"Hey, what's da big idea, Foxy?" Impmon shouted, causing everyone to breath a sigh of relief.

"Well, we can never be _too_ careful," Renamon teased.

"I'll give ya 'careful.' Now let me go before I-"

"Alright." Renamon released her grip on Impmon's tail and he fell to the floor.

"What's taking so long up there?" Suzie's voice echoed from the hole. Rika looked to Takato, who smiled and motioned for her to move to the hole and start helping them out.

"They're probably just preparing the welcome party," another voice chimed in, one that Rika tried and failed to not cringe at the sound of.

* * *

The Hypnos control hub turned red as warning lights lit up on multiple screens. Henry looked from screen to screen, despite already knowing what was happening. Tear activity had been increasing all morning and things were escalating yet again.

"Status!" Yamaki demanded. While he wasn't one for pleasantries on a good day, he was definitely a little more high-strung than Henry had seen him in a while.

"We've got three openings," Riley responded before looking back at the monitor in front of her. "Make that four..."

"Locations?"

"A couple small ones on the other side of town," Tally called out as exact locations appeared on the map of the city. "We've got a third opening up literally above the city, and that fourth one..."

As Tally paused to look at the data in front of her, a slight tremor shook the room. Everyone went still for a second, with it being pretty obvious what had just happened. Henry looked at Alice and she only shook her head in response.

"That last one's a few blocks from here," Riley said before anyone could ask. "Opened on a street corner, but energy output must have been great that a nearby building collapsed."

"That one," Alice whispered so that only Henry could hear her.

"What's up?" Henry asked.

"If you want to get to your friends, that's the tear you should head for. It's nearby and it's large enough that it should stay open until you get there."

"Alice-"

"Don't waste time trying to argue." Alice looked right at him, her blue eyes seeming _slightly_ less icy than usual. She then looked away as though she were having trouble saying what came next. "And don't try to thank me either, because I'm not doing this just for you."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Henry smiled before heading for the exit. While he wouldn't say that he understood Alice any better, it did help knowing that she was in his corner.

Within a few seconds, Henry was smashing the button to call the elevator. He did his best to keep his mind clear, deciding that getting to through the tear could be simple at the very least.

* * *

The idea of a Spring day in the park usually appealed to Terriermon, but not on that particular morning. There was something in the air, something that was beating at all of his senses. He decided not to try to guess what it was, as he knew they would find out soon enough.

Terriermon was currently riding on the shoulder of Henry's double, with Jeri following them just a couple steps behind. Neither had spoken since leaving the apartment, seeming too lost in thought about one thing or another. Terriermon didn't see the need to prod, as they were about to enter Guilmon's shed and would soon have plenty to talk about.

At least, that was Terriermon assumed would happen. Upon entering the shed, however, all that they found was more silence. The first thing Terriermon did was a head count, and was relieved to see that Suzie's group had found their way back, and with this reality's version of Ryo no less. Yet, despite all these humans and digimon in the same place, no one seemed to have much to say.

"So..." Ryo said after what felt like hours of silence. "That's where we're at, huh?"

"Pretty much," Takato confirmed. They had obviously been recapping the events of the last couple days. All eyes then shifted to the shed's entrance as they became aware of the presence of the new arrivals.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," said a voice that Terriermon couldn't quite place. He surveyed the shed's occupants until his eyes finally settled on the voice's owner.

"We can't all have your punctuality, Terriermon," Henry replied.

"Yeah, apparently you were busy trying to find my replacement. No problem, Henry. I'll only take that a _little_ personally."

"Terriermon..."

"What?" Terriermon answered on his double's behalf, knowing full well it would get a rise out of Henry.

"Don't you start too." Henry turned over to his shoulder, irritation showing.

"I'm not starting anything," Terriermon's double chimed in.

Henry chose the silent treatment as his response, which signaled to Terriermon that their bit was up. Still, he couldn't resist sharing a laugh with who he was convinced was his new best friend.

"Moumantai, buddy," Terriermon's double said casually. "It's been a while since we've been able to joke like this."

"You haven't even been gone a week," Henry argued.

"Hey, I've been sharing a cave with Cyberdramon. It's felt like almost two weeks to me."

"Look, I hate to be the one to break this up, but maybe we should get back to it," Takato suggested. "Is everyone up to speed?" He received nods from Suzie, Ai, and Mako.

"I think so," Ryo answered, before turning his attention to Rika. "How are you handling all this?"

"Managing," Rika replied in a tone she used when she was trying to be civil.

"Really? I mean I had a hard time _hearing_ about my death. To actually see it happen-"

"Is something I'm not looking to talk about," Rika finished. She was starting to show her frustration, much to Terriermon's amusement.

Ryo seemed to be sharing the sentiment. "Okay, I get it, Wildcat. You gotta keep up appearances. Just know that I'm here for you when you're ready to talk."

"Don't worry, she's good," Takato blurted out, apparently surprising no one more than himself. His gaze nervously fell on Rika, who didn't look to thrilled by the comment either. "Or at least that's the way things look to me, but I'm stupid and talk out my ass sometimes so you could probably just ignore me."

"Oh, boy..." Jeri muttered, not enjoying the scene in front of them nearly enough in Terriermon's opinion.

"Why does it even matter who she talks to?" Suzie asked no one in particular. Terriermon found the girl looking back and forth between Rika and Ryo, wearing an expression he had come to recognize as jealousy.

"Seems to matter to you quite a bit," Terriermon sang.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Suzie shouted as she grabbed hold of Terriermon's ear.

"Ow!" Terriermon suddenly found himself regretting speaking up. "Henry, help! I'm being attacked by an angry preteen!"

"Wish there was something I could do to help," Henry claimed nonchalantly.

"Oh, don't be like-" Terriermon paused his thought as every hair on his body stood up. He looked around and every other digimon there seemed to be reacting much the same way. They tore outside with the humans close behind.

There was a pause as they looked around for the disturbance, but no one would get a chance to ask what it was they were looking. The unmistakable energy of a reality tear was building up above Shinjuku's skyline and then just as quickly burst open.

"What was that about getting back to it?" Ryo ended up being the one to ask.

* * *

Henry ignored the sound of a car-horn as he ran across the street. He was on borrowed time, so stopping to obey traffic laws wasn't a high priority for him at the moment. All that mattered was reaching the tear and finding the others.

Of course, Henry's progress wasn't being helped by the fact that he was running in the opposite direction that everyone else was moving. Anyone who was not directly affected by the building's collapse was trying to get far away from ground zero, though Henry could hardly blame them. As his destination grew closer, the dust clouds became thicker and the cries for help grew louder.

Henry tried to push all of this from his mind, but found it next to impossible once he arrived at the tear's coordinates. The building in question had been home to a number of different offices, ones that should have been empty given that it was Sunday. Still, the surrounding area hadn't been empty, and the way the debris had fallen meant there were plenty of people hurt and in need of assistance.

It was the reality tear that caused Henry to hesitate in moving to try and help anyone. Despite limited visibility, he could make out its distinct glow as well as how it was starting to flicker. He had seconds to make a decision, and would be stuck with consequences no matter what.

"I'm sorry," Henry whispered, ultimately choosing his friends over the innocent victims the tear had left in its wake.

Henry sprinted towards the tear, which turned into a desperate dive once he got closer. He came crashing to ground before quickly turning around to confirm that he had passed through. He managed to just catch the tear disappearing.

Unfortunately, the destruction and cries for help did not disappear with it. Henry looked around his vicinity, finding that he was in the middle of a scene identical to the one he had just left. Henry stood up, deciding that he couldn't ignore these people this time around.

* * *

Not long after the Tamers had watched a tear open in the sky above them, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. It didn't take much time to deduce that another tear had opened elsewhere in the city, and no one had objected to moving towards it to see if anyone needed help. The only real pause for concern was that it seemed to be in the general direction that Hypnos was located back home.

With Lopmon in tow, Suzie was keeping pace with the others. Rounding a corner, however, she quickly came to realize that there was someone else who wasn't. Suzie looked backwards, finding that Jeri lagging behind by quite a bit. Being both concerned and still feeling a bit guilty for abandoning Jeri in favor of a trip to the Digital World, Suzie came to a complete stop and backtracked towards her.

"Are you okay?" Suzie asked, already knowing the answer.

Jeri stopped and tried to smile. "I'm fine," she answered, though Suzie felt it was pretty obvious that she was being lied to. "I've just got some stuff on my mind."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"I'll let you know if I think of something." Jeri's tone was genuine, but her gaze drifted off. Jeri had become a strong believer in talking things out, so for her to brush off Suzie's attempts to help meant she felt nothing could be done.

"I'm sorry." Suzie had been holding those words in since returning to the Real World and couldn't think of better time to let them out.

"What have you got to be sorry about?"

Suzie looked away from Jeri, a bit of shame having crept its way into her mind. She looked down to Lopmon, who stood silently by her side. The small, brown digimon did nothing but nod, a subtle indication that it was okay to continue.

"I left when you needed me," Suzie explained as she turned back to Jeri.

"You brought back Ryo to help," Jeri countered. "I'd say that was worth leaving for a little while."

"Yeah, but..." Suzie paused, part of her wanting to accept Jeri's offer to be let off the hook. "I didn't do that to help you, and the whole trip was almost for nothing."

"What do you mean?" Jeri raised an eyebrow and her smile went away completely.

"Ryo didn't want to come back with us at first. There was a little while there where I was convinced he wasn't going to."

"So, what changed?"

"I'm honestly still not completely sure." Suzie scratched her cheek, trying to figure out the right words to use. "I just realized that he was hurting just as much as I was, and that leaving him behind would just make things worse."

"You know there are some people we can't save, right Suzie?" Jeri sounded like she was using another person's words.

"But that's never stopped us from trying before!" Suzie didn't know where her sudden outburst had come from, but she ended up taking a step back because of it. There was no reason she could think of to be yelling at Jeri.

To Jeri's credit, she didn't seem put off by Suzie's words. She actually smiled, this time more genuinely. The older girl ended up closing the distance between them and pulling Suzie against her.

"I don't want you to let this bother you anymore," Jeri said softly. "I forgive you."

Suzie ended up only nodding in response, spacing a little when it came to words. Part of the reason was Jeri herself. She had always had a warmth to her, both physically and emotionally, and Suzie almost forgot to pull away from her.

"So I guess we should catch up with the others," Suzie suggested.

"You go on ahead," Jeri replied. "I'll catch up in a minute."

Suzie thought the response was a weird one given what Jeri been through the last couple days, but did as she was told. There were people who might need their help, and Suzie trusted Jeri to find them when she was ready.

* * *

Henry lifted with his legs, moving a piece of asphalt with the help of another good samaritan. He was currently inside a small apartment building that had been hit by falling debris and was trying to clear the way for people to evacuate. Of course, there were limits to what he could actually do until actual emergency crews arrived, but it helped to be doing something.

Stepping aside for a second in an attempt to catch his breath, Henry tried to plan out what his next steps should be. Nothing specific came to mind immediately, with his brain simply filling with locations his friends could currently be meeting at. His train of thought ended up being cut short by the sound of his D-Power.

Turning on its holographic display, he was initially worried about what kind of information it was about to reveal to him. Instead, Henry ended up smiling as a familiar indicator appeared. He followed it outside, not willing to stop for anyone.

Relief took over as soon as his digimon partner was in eyesight. Terriermon took instant notice of him as well, though his expression looked more like disbelief than relief. Despite this, Henry took a few steps closer.

"Terriermon-" Henry began, before the aforementioned digimon flew forward and headbutted him in the face.


	19. Miscommunication

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Miscommunication**

Much to Takato's surprise, very few people objected to the help that was offered to them. Not that there wasn't some hesitancy, given how most still regarded digimon in general, but circumstances seemed to allow most to look as past this. For Guilmon and the others' sake, Takato still held on to the hope that this could one day become the norm.

Moving about the city block that faced the brunt of the building's collapse, Takato and Guilmon came upon a parking garage which they decided to make their next stop. Just before they could chance going inside, Rika and Renamon appeared right beside them, likely with the same idea.

"How are things going?" Takato asked.

"Not ideally, but we're making progress," Rika answered, keeping her eyes trained on the garage. None of them moved or spoke for a few seconds after.

"Well..." Takato gestured towards the parking structure. "This is very _us_."

Rika finally looked at him, though she still stayed silent. Instead, she stared at him in a way that seemed to question how appropriate the comment was. Not that Takato disagreed, but he wanted her to talk to him. Things were tough enough without there being a wall between them.

Takato couldn't decide if knowing exactly what was wrong made things better or worse. The fact was he had been content to keep his feelings to himself, mainly because he knew Rika's aversion to dealing with her emotions made this a likely outcome. He tried telling himself this was only temporary and they would talk about things later. In the end, he would prefer that she reject him outright than continue on like this.

"Anyway..." Takato said, once again looking to fill the silence. "Do you know what the others are up to?"

"Beelzemon and Cyberdramon were a bit closer to the center of things, trying to clear larger pieces of debris," Renamon summarized.

"Haven't seen Henry or the Twin Terrors in a bit, but knowing them they're keeping busy," Rika added.

"And if I recall correctly, this reality's Lopmon mentioned heading home to go find her partner."

"What about our Suzie?" Takato asked. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her or Jeri since we left the park." Rika and Renamon both shrugged in response.

"Well, not Jeri anyway," Guilmon said as he looked upward.

"What do you-" Takato began to ask as he followed Guilmon's sight-line, only for Antylamon to come crashing down on the street nearby.

"Oops..." Suzie said innocently as she climbed off the giant rabbit's shoulder. The dust on her clothing indicated she had been just as busy as the rest of them. "Just checking in. You guys haven't seen Jeri, have you?"

Takato looked to Rika, finding the same concern on her face that he felt. "We were about to ask you the same thing," he answered nervously.

Suzie's expression sank. "She said she would be right behind me..."

"You don't think she..." Rika began, likely having arrived at the same conclusion Takato had.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Takato concluded. He looked to Guilmon, whose nose was already at work. "You got her?"

"I think so," the saurian replied.

Takato turned back to Rika. "How do you wanna play this?" she asked.

"I'll go on ahead while you guys finish things up here," Takato answered. "Round up the others and follow the first chance you get."

No verbal confirmations were necessary as everyone went about their assigned task. Takato didn't even bother trying not to worry, instead just focusing on making sure he wasn't too late in getting to Jeri.

* * *

"Terriermon!" Henry yelled as he staggered backwards, obviously in some pain.

Not that he was the only one. Terriermon rubbed the top of his head, wondering if he should have thought his last action through a little more. It had been reflex, probably from leftover frustration from the last few days.

"What?" Terriermon replied, playing dumb in regards to what his partner was angry about.

"Don't give me that!" Henry snapped before wincing again. "You're lucky you didn't break my nose."

" _You're_ lucky I didn't go horn first."

"Yeah, lucky me..." Henry finally straightened himself out to address Terriermon. "I seem to recall apologizing. What more could you possibly want?"

"I never wanted you to apologize!" Terriermon was trying to keep an even temper, but current and extenuating circumstances were making that difficult. "I just wanted you to pull your head out of your ass and listen to me!"

Somehow, the street they were on managed to go completely silent. While it was true that Terriermon hadn't really said anything that hadn't been said before, the situation surrounding the conversation had shifted quite a bit. For Terriermon specifically, everything that had happened had made it more difficult to keep his anger constantly aimed at Henry. For one, his partner was standing right in front of him, which meant he was more willing to listen than before. There was also what had happened to Ruki, which reminded Terriermon that he would rather have Henry alive and ignoring him than gone completely.

"So, what do you have to say?" Henry asked calmly, probably not in a too dissimilar frame of mind.

"I just..." Terriermon began. He couldn't figure out why coming up with something to say had suddenly become so difficult. "When did we stop being a team?"

"Who said we stopped?"

"Henry..."

I know, I know..." Henry shook his head and refocused. "It's just... things are changing, Terriermon."

" _Really_? I hadn't noticed..." Terriermon was tempted to just walk away. So far, this conversation wasn't going much different from any of the others they'd had over the last few months.

"We can't fight forever, and quite frankly, I don't want us to have to." Henry paused to approach Terriermon and ended up kneeling down right in front of him. His attention, however, seemed to drift to the surrounding area. "Life has to be more than this for us one day."

"So your idea of getting away from fighting is joining Hypnos?" Henry's explanation was starting to make less and less sense.

"Not... exactly." Henry seemed just as confused by the whole. On the bright side, it was nice to know he didn't have _everything_ figured out. "At first, working with Hypnos was about having the resources to work on a Juggernaut cure, but it eventually became more than that."

"Yeah, that I _had_ noticed."

"Look, the short of it is that my job at Hypnos became my compromise between not being directly in the fight and not abandoning it outright." Henry gave Terriermon his full attention and all the sincerity that came with it. "But if the last few days have shown me anything, it's that I'm not ready to give up _our_ job just yet."

"So you want to start fighting again?" Terriermon asked, trying not to sound too excited.

"I've never _wanted_ to fight, Terriermon," Henry answered. "But if my best friends still have to fight, then I want to be by their side."

Terriermon sighed, taking a moment before responding to Henry's offer. Again, circumstances made it difficult to maintain any kind of grudge. Some uncertainty remained, as Henry was making no promises about not moving on from being a Tamer in the future. What he was ultimately offering was a compromise, one Terriermon admitted he could learn to live with.

"Fine," Terriermon muttered, feigning indifference. "I guess I could use your help." He extended one of his ears forward.

"You guess, huh?" Henry replied as he took hold of the ear and shook.

"Well, if that's not the most adorable thing I've ever seen, I don't know what is," another voice called over to them, causing Henry to look back and forth between Terriermon and its source.

"Terriermon..." Henry's doppelganger warned.

"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it."

"Unreal..." Henry muttered as he walked past Terriermon and over to his double. The two looked each other up in down in an almost identical fashion. As far as Terriermon could tell, the only obvious way of distinguishing the two of them was the way they were dressed, with his actual partner wearing one of the button-down shirts he wore for work and the other wearing the vest and t-shirt Henry still favored as casual wear.

"Can we please stop treating this like a new discovery?" Terriermon asked impatiently.

"It's because they're nerds," his double explained. "They don't believe anything til they actually see it."

"And slow the rest of us down in the process."

"Does that mean everything is going to take twice as long today?"

Henry turned his attention towards the two digimon. "How is it that Rika hasn't killed one or both of you yet?" he asked.

"We're too charming and adorable for her to go through with it," Terriermon said proudly.

"Don't forget funny and intelligent," his counterpart added.

"Those definitely weren't the words she was using earlier," Henry's double stated. "Speaking of..." He motioned in the general direction that Takato and Rika would be in.

Henry only nodded before scooping Terriermon up and placing him on his shoulder. Terriermon gave no protest as the four of them set off, deciding instead to relax and see how events unfolded.

* * *

Rika waited patiently as Renamon scanned the final floor of the garage they had to check. Not surprisingly, there hadn't been that many people in the structure itself, so their work was almost complete. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought Takato had given her busy work to keep her from a potential battle. How often he admitted to needing her and the rest of their friends during a fight helped her dismiss the notion.

"So, what are you planning on saying to him?" Renamon asked suddenly. Rika wondered if the kitsune had determined who her thoughts had wandered to via their link or had simply guessed.

"Does that really matter right now?" Rika asked back. The only thing keeping her from being _really_ annoyed was the question had been put forward as a serious concern.

"Not right now, no..." Renamon remained completely still, her senses likely still concentrated on their surroundings. "My concern is that waiting too long, however, may start to impact the team's dynamic."

Rika stayed quiet, her mind drifting to the Tamers of this reality. Their team had been splintered because of one bad decision. While the decision she was wrestling with was quite a bit more minor than sparing or taking a life, it was somehow still managing to scare her.

 _Doesn't help that that stupid Goggle-head never does anything halfway_ , Rika thought. Any chance she had at writing off Takato's feelings as a simple crush had died once she saw his immediate reaction to Ruki's death. It had nearly broken him, all because he had likely dreamed up a fairy tale ending for the pair of them.

"Can I offer some advice?" Renamon inquired, bringing Rika back to reality.

"Alright, shoot," Rika answered, figuring she had nothing to lose. Renamon was by no means an expert on human relationships of any kind, but maybe that meant she would have a more objective view on the matter than any of her human friends.

"From what I can tell, you're under no obligation to return Takato's feelings. Honesty seems like the best course of action for all parties involved."

"I'll keep that in mind." Rika agreed with the sentiment, if for no reason other than that Takato _deserved_ a straight answer.

"There," Renamon said as she pointed a paw to the far side of the garage. The two wasted no time springing into action.

They climbed through the rubble and over to a minivan that was surrounded on all sides by large pieces of concrete. Through the windshield, Rika could make out a family of four. She immediately pulled out her modify cards, deciding to go with a strength boost so Renamon could simply move the asphalt away from the van.

Just as Rika was about to swipe the card, however, a blue barrier formed around the vehicle. She wouldn't even get a chance to wonder what was happening, as her partner almost immediately took hold of her and moved them both to cover.

"Heads up!" a voiced yelled, before being followed by a pair of missiles blowing the rubble away.

More than a little angry by the surprise, Rika shot her head up from cover and looked around the garage. She was not the least bit shocked to see Kazu, Kenta, and their partners approaching the van. By the time she was on her feet, Guardromon was pulling one of van's doors off as MarineAngemon fluttered around its occupants.

"You're welcome," Kazu called cockily in Rika's direction.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Rika shouted as she marched towards them. "You could've brought this whole place down on top of us!"

"Yeah, but we didn't," Kenta argued meekly before Rika's glare shut him up completely.

"Well, sorry for trying to help, your Majesty," Kazu said about as sarcastically as he could. "Maybe stuff like this wouldn't happen if you'd clue us in when the team gets back together."

"Why?" Rika asked. "So you can go from completely clueless to _almost_ completely clueless?"

"Oh, whatever..." Kazu rolled his eyes and turned away, his usual tell when he didn't want to admit to losing an argument. "You can move the rocks yourself next time, Ruki."

Rika stayed quiet at the mention of her double's name, being reminded just how out of the loop these two were. She looked to Renamon, who herself seemed a little annoyed by the boys' rashness. The kitsune ended up just shaking her head, which Rika took as a signal to back down. In the end, it really wasn't her place place to berate these two.

"You wanna help?" Rika asked, careful to not let her tone soften too much. "Get these people somewhere safe, and then see if there's anyone else in the area that emergency crews haven't gotten to yet."

"What are you gonna do?" Kenta asked nervously, with Kazu still too busy pouting to respond.

"See if I can't stop this from happening again."

Rika moved to the edge of the garage, where she had a view of the street below. She had meant what she had said. This city needed a solution, not a patch-job. If her and Takato's theory panned out, they could have one soon.

"Rika," Renamon said softly, before directing her attention to the street below.

Below them, two different versions of Henry moved along the street, both of which had their partners in tow. Rika grinned, relieved that her friend had found his way to them. Having the extra firepower for what now felt like another imminent battle would be helpful, and having Henry around was usually reassuring in general.

Rika gave Renamon a nod and her partner took hold of her again and leapt down towards the street. The next fight would be tough enough without them dragging their feet.

* * *

Jeri exited the elevator at the top of the semi-constructed Metropolitan Government Building. She was beginning to question how easy it was for someone to get up here, especially if this reality's Takato visited this spot as often as he claimed. Jeri decided that this line of thought really didn't matter, as she had other concerns.

Case in point, the person she had been looking for was exactly where she expected him to be, though not in the exact state she had been hoping for. Jeri hesitated as the fact that she was staring at ChaosGallantmon registered in mind. The knight was quiet, currently occupying the same spot where the two of them had eaten lunch the previous day. Jeri took a deep breath, also remembering that this was where she began to fear that she would be unable to help him.

"Takato?" Jeri whispered, trying to assure herself that she was done being afraid. Suzie hadn't given up on Ryo and her universe's Takato hadn't given up on Ruki, so there was no way she was going to give up here.

ChaosGallantmon turned his head, revealing his face-plate to still be cracked and dented from a blow he had received during the last fight. Apparently, he had not dropped this form since then. Jeri's first instinct was to wonder why, but decided to focus on the more immediate instead. The dark knight's current demeanor was also striking her as odd.

He didn't make any noise upon seeing her, not even a single growl. His eyes were also different than before, seeming to be completely lifeless and empty. Not that she had that long an opportunity to look at them, as he had already turned his gaze away from her.

"Guess you weren't kidding about liking this view, huh?" Jeri said, a little more loudly than before. This time, however, ChaosGallantmon just ignored her. "It's a pretty good hiding place too. None of the others have even thought to look for you here."

Still no reaction. Jeri took a couple steps forward, not letting the fact deter her. Every single one of her friends were stubborn about one thing or another, so she had learned to be stubborn right back.

"I know you're scared, but you can't let that rule you right now," Jeri continued, opting to be little more forward from here on. "This city and maybe the world are in danger. You know the tears? Well you have the power to close them. It won't bring anyone back, but you'll be able to keep everyone else from dying.

"And even if none of that were the case, you still can't shut yourself down. None of us are ready to give up on you, but for that to be worth anything, you have to meet us somewhere in the middle."

Jeri went silent, not really having anything else to say. All she could really do was cross her fingers, and hope her words were actually registering. As much as she hated the idea, it was possible that Takato was lost too deep within ChaosGallantmon to even comprehend what she was saying.

This notion seemed all the more plausible as ChaosGallantmon stood himself up, still not looking at Jeri. He spread his wings with the obvious intent of flying away. Jeri wracked her brain for an idea, even considering grabbing hold of him before he took off. As luck would have it, however, she wouldn't have to.

"She's right, you know," said the dual voices of Takato and Guilmon, as a more familiar looking Gallantmon landed not far behind Jeri. "There's still a chance for you to do the right thing."

The words of his counterpart seemed to catch ChaosGallantmon's attention. He ceased his departure and looked directly at the Royal Knight. Curious as to how things would pan out, Jeri decided to stay quiet for the moment.

"I understand now, I really do," Takato said, now speaking on his own. "I spent two minutes in your shoes and felt like nothing would ever matter again, and the worst part was that I felt like it was my own fault. Honestly, if it had actually been Rika who died, I definitely wouldn't be standing here trying to reason with you."

Gallantmon paused for a moment, looking away from his counterpart to scratch the back of his head. Under different circumstances, Jeri probably would have laughed at the mannerism. She found it equal parts funny and reassuring when the bio-merged Megas let their human halves take full control, as it often made her forget she was looking at one of the team's most powerful warriors. Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon were the exact same way more often than not.

"But the truth is that's not what happened," Takato continued. "I didn't have to carry that pain the way you have, and can't even imagine what it's like to live like that for almost three years. I'll admit I'm surprised it took you this long to snap."

ChaosGallantmon didn't show any sign of emotion, but kept his attention focused solely on his double. Jeri held her breath, hoping that he was conscious enough to listen.

"That's the past, though," Takato stated. Jeri could tell from the tone of his voice that he was nearing his conclusion. "You can't change it, but you can learn from it. We'll help you as best we can, but it's down to you to decide where you go from here."

ChaosGallantmon looked at the ground and everything seemed to go still. Jeri turned her attention to the knight standing behind her and they exchanged a nod. _Now_ , there wasn't anything else to say. All they could do was wait.

When the waiting did end, Jeri had just enough time take in what was happening. ChaosGallantmon looked right at her, his eyes now showing Guilmon's signature feral stare. His weapons materialized in his hands and he dashed right towards her.

Despite the feral knight flying in her direction, however, Jeri was not afraid. Partially because of her own conviction, but also because of the crimson light originating from just behind her.


	20. Duel

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Duel**

Gallantmon's Crimson Mode almost seemed to have triggered itself as ChaosGallantmon flew towards them. Without thinking about it, Takato willed his and Guilmon's shared form forward and met their counterpart head on. Brandishing Gungnir and Blutgang, his lance and broadsword respectively, he blocked his double from bringing his own weapons to whoever his target had been.

Takato risked glancing at the space between the two knights that Jeri now occupied. The girl had fallen to a knee at the shockwave that resulted from their collision, which had also shaken the entire building. While Takato still wasn't sure that they could match ChaosGallantmon blow for blow, he did know that Jeri could not be in the vicinity of the fight for them to have any chance of winning.

Ultimately, Takato still couldn't figure out how they had gotten into this position in the first place. ChaosGallantmon had, at the very least, shown signs that he was listening to what he had to say, only to seemingly just change his mind. The direction in which the dark knight had focused his attack was also not sitting well with Takato. Perhaps it was just his and Guilmon's coincidental positioning, but it seemed an awful lot like their counterpart had directed his attack at Jeri. Takato couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was a piece of information that he was missing.

Whatever the case, they were out of time to ponder ChaosGallantmon's motivation. He brought both his weapons back for a followup attack, forcing Takato to counterattack. Not wanting to remain entirely on defense, he blocked only the first couple strikes before tackling his double. It might not have been the smartest move, but it did succeed in putting at least a small amount of distance between them and Jeri.

"Takato!" Jeri called out as she attempted to move in their direction.

"Stay back!" Takato and Guilmon both barked as they struggled to keep ChaosGallantmon pinned to the ground. They wouldn't be able to do so for much longer. The floor beneath them wouldn't be able to support this struggle for very long _if_ they weren't thrown off their opponent first.

"And go where instead?" Jeri snapped back. She wasn't trying to be difficult, as she brought up a legitimate point. There were currently no obvious escape routes for her.

Then, in a rare stroke of luck, a solution seemed to present itself. He wasn't sure at first, but Takato was soon positive that he could hear wing-beats behind him. He took a split second to consider what would happen if he were wrong, but it was becoming apparent that Jeri might not be worse off in a few moments.

"That way!" Takato ordered, his motioning in the intended direction was enough leeway for ChaosGallantmon to finally overtake him. Fortunately, Jeri didn't argue and began to move, which Takato took as a sign to stop holding back.

He managed to find the strength to not only force his doppelganger to stagger backwards, but also topple him over. ChaosGallantmon, having lost hold of his weapons, slowly picked himself up.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Takato said, dismissing his own weapons in the hope it would get his point across. ChaosGallantmon's charging forward again proved that the gesture had no effect.

"It looks like it might have to be," Guilmon observed.

"Yeah, yeah..."

ChaosGallantmon's first strike was a complete miss, leaving him open for another strike. Takato drew his fist back before connecting it with his double's head. The force of the punch actually knocked the knight off his feet.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Takato took hold of ChaosGallantmon before he hit the floor and flew upwards. What Takato wanted to do was fly him somewhere out of the way to keep collateral damage at a minimum, but he knew the feral knight wouldn't stay pacified long enough for that to happen. He had to settle for crashing him right into the building they had just come from.

The floor on which their fight had started crumbled on impact, with ChaosGallantmon falling through several more floors after that. Takato flew back upwards to both catch his breath and observe the results of his last action. By some miracle, the entire Metropolitan Government Building hadn't collapsed.

"Didn't think they still built 'em like dat, eh?"

Takato turned to his left and saw Beelzemon floating in the air next to him. Jeri was in his arms, much to Takato's relief.

"Is he...?" Jeri began to ask.

"Definitely not," Takato replied as he turned his attention back to the wreckage. This fight was far from over.

"So what's our next move?" Beelzemon asked.

"Guilmon and I hold him off while you guys get clear."

"You gotta be kiddin' me." Beelzemon was not going to abandon this fight willingly, but Takato had suspected as much.

"There's no other choice. You have to get Jeri somewhere safe and I also don't want him getting any more riled up than he already is." Takato looked Beelzemon in the eye until his meaning sunk in. Whether he was in control of himself or not, his other self was unlikely to react well to the sight of Beelzemon.

"Fine... Let's give 'em some room, Jeri." Beelzemon flew away, albeit reluctantly. Unfortunately, Takato didn't have the luxury of watching them until they were out of sight.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Guilmon asked.

"It definitely wasn't," Takato answered as a small but noticeable tremor shook the building below.

Takato blinked and ChaosGallantmon was right in front of him, angrily growling at him. Before Takato had a chance to brace himself, his doppelganger had slammed into him, causing them both to fall towards the street below.

Knowing how he needed to separate himself from his opponent, Takato brought his knee forward as fast and as hard as he could and slammed it into ChaosGallantmon's gut. The blow did the trick, giving Takato a second to course correct and keep himself from crashing into a busy intersection. That victory was short lived, however, as it was interrupted by a shoulder crashing into his chest and causing him to fly into a nearby building.

Takato braced himself at the last second, guaranteeing that the impact wouldn't send him through the wall and into anyone who might be on the other side of it. Again, collateral damage was on his mind. His best option at the moment was to lead his double to Shinjuku Park. While it was likely populated, it did possess some open spaces that would be more appropriate for this kind of fight.

Thoughts on how to get ChaosGallantmon to the park were interrupted by said knight coming in for a followup attack. Luckily, Guilmon was able to compensate for Takato's lapse in judgment, catching ChaosGallantmon's fist in the palm of their shared hand. The result of the collision was another shockwave, which shattered every window on the block.

"Okay, _now_ we have to move," Takato said as he struggled to hold the fist back.

"Ready when you are," Guilmon confirmed, never needing to know whether or not Takato actually had a plan.

They tightened their grip on their opposite's hand before using their own free hand to deliver a punch of their own. With ChaosGallantmon stunned for a couple seconds, Takato took the opportunity to move. Shinjuku Park wasn't far, so reaching it was not an impossibility.

It wasn't long into the flight that ChaosGallantmon regained his senses and began to struggle, but by that point their destination was within reach. Takato flung their charge forward before materializing Gungnir in his hand. Taking aim, he released a bolt of energy that hit ChaosGallantmon and sent him flying into an open and empty area of the park.

By the time Takato had set down on solid ground, ChaosGallantmon was climbing his way out of the crater he had created on impact. He moved slowly despite not showing any real signs of injury. Takato hoped that his counterpart was finally starting to come to and the fighting could stop, but that hope died as ChaosGallantmon materialized his own lance in his hand.

He flew forward with his lance outstretched, forcing Takato to parry with Gungnir. He used the split second that gave him to spin around ChaosGallantmon so that he could land a blow to the back of his opponent's head with his free hand. The feral knight face-planted onto the ground and remained still for a few seconds.

Against his better judgment, Takato slowly approached ChaosGallantmon's prone form. That had been way too easy, and Takato refused to believe his double would be staying down without more of a fight. Despite this mindset, however, Takato and Guilmon both managed to be caught off guard when ChaosGallantmon sprung back up and started swinging his lance around wildly.

One of the swings managed to catch Takato and cause him to lose hold of Gungnir. Now unarmed, he had no way of blocking ChaosGallantmon's next strike, which ended up being a powerful fist to his gut. Takato fell to his knees, and before he could attempt to stand again, ChaosGallantmon's lance was being pointed at his face.

The lance wouldn't stay there for very long, as a swift kick collided with ChaosGallantmon's head and pushed the knight backwards. Takato finally stood upright to face Justimon, who stood by his side while still eyeing their foe. Ryo hadn't been the first person Takato expected to come to his aid, but it didn't make him any less grateful.

"Perfect timing," Takato complimented as he materialized Blutgang in his hand.

Justimon nodded his right arm took on the shape of his energy blade. "Do we have a strategy?" the Mega asked in his dual voice.

"The fight stays and ends here."

"Here's hoping..." Justimon shot forward, with Takato just behind.

Justimon brought his blade down, forcing ChaosGallantmon to strafe to avoid the blow. The attack missing was not a complete loss, as it allowed Takato to immediately follow it up. Unable to dodge, ChaosGallantmon had to rely on his double-sided lance to block Takato's sword. He was successful, but by that point, Justimon had recovered and was resuming his own attack.

They continued like that for a bit, with ChaosGallantmon stuck on the defensive. He dodged and blocked as each attack came his way, and Takato soon _thought_ they had him on the ropes.

Both blades came down at the same time, but ChaosGallantmon responded by blocking each with a side of his lance. Takato tried forcing his own weapon down harder, but his counterpart was more than strong enough to hold his own.

"I can't help but notice that he's a bit more spry then you are," Ryo strained. "No offense..."

"He's been loading data for years," Takato explained. "He's got a lot of power to call on."

"So what you're saying is that loading data _does_ make you stronger," Cyberdramon cut in suddenly.

"Seriously?" Ryo replied. "You wanna have a conversation _now_?"

Any further responses were put on hold as ChaosGallantmon finally got his second wind. He pushed upwards, forcing both of his attackers off him. Takato went flying backwards as Justimon was sent flying into the air. Before Takato could get back on his feet, ChaosGallantmon was on Justimon, delivering a quick kick that sent him flying into the nearby treeline.

Takato and Guilmon both worked to right themselves, but even working as one they weren't fast to respond to their double. Before they were upright, he was flying right towards them with lance extended.

"CRYSTAL SPHERE!"

A barrier formed around them at the last minute, deflecting ChaosGallantmon's lance. Surprised, the feral knight turned to continue his assault, only to be greeted by a large shadow standing over him.

"POWER PUMMEL!"

A massive fist swung down and collided with ChaosGallantmon, sending him flying across the battlefield. Despite knowing exactly what had just happened, Takato looked to his sides to confirm Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon's presence.

"This is the last time I let you guys go anywhere without me," Henry said through the walking tank that was his Mega form. Takato didn't know how his friend had found his way to them, but decided stories could be shared later.

"No arguments here," Takato replied, before taking notice of the volley of missiles arching around them.

The missiles hit their mark, pelting a still disoriented ChaosGallantmon and keeping pinned where he was. Takato craned his neck, finding this reality's MegaGargomon with weapons still smoking.

"You don't think that was overkill?" Terriermon asked before a loud snarl came out of the smoke.

"Does that answer your question?" his native counterpart asked back.

"Not really; I don't speak rabid knight."

"Shame..."

"Why, do you?"

"No, but it would be helpful if one of us did."

"Kill me..." Rika groaned.

"I can think of at least one person who's going to try," Renamon chimed in at the sound of another growl.

Without another warning, ChaosGallantmon flew out of the smoke left behind by the last attack and up into the air. He eyed the four Megas below, possibly trying to decide who to attack first. Luckily, he never got a chance to choose.

"CORONA BLASTER!"

Purple laser blasts rained down on ChaosGallantmon, forcing him back to the ground. Before much longer, Beelzemon was setting himself down next to Takato and company.

Takato looked at the Demon Lord questioningly, only for him to shrug in response. "What?" he asked. "Ya really think that guy can get any angrier?"

Takato decided not to respond and instead refocus his attention on the fight. Even with whatever power he had left, the odds were stacking against his doppelganger. One way or another, this fight would be coming to an end soon.

Takato shook his head, still very much wishing that they could just stop the fight. Looking at his double, however, he knew that time hadn't come just yet. ChaosGallantmon was currently marching his way back towards them, with plenty of fight still left in his eyes.

Sure enough, he started swinging his lance around wildly with energy bolts being let loose in every direction. The two MegaGargomon held their ground while the rest of the flew into the air to dodge the attacks. While Takato was able to avoid taking hits, he remained unable to close the distance between them.

Ultimately, it fell to Ryo to put a stop to ChaosGallantmon's fit of rage once he finally made it back to the fight. Having been able to catch his target unawares, Justimon brought his over-sized gauntlet down hard on ChaosGallantmon, forcing him to his knees. The knight tried to struggle, but that wouldn't last long.

"THUNDER CLAP!"

The energy emitted from the gauntlet hit ChaosGallantmon pointblank, pushing him underground. Everything seemed to go still after that, with the all six Megas all seeming to be waiting for the inevitable. Said inevitable came in the form of the ground starting to shake beneath their feet.

Takato looked around the park, trying to figure out where ChaosGallantmon would strike next. He ended up bursting out of the ground from a spot in the middle of the group and flying back into the air. He brought his lance back as it started to glow in a deep blue.

There was no time to come up with a plan, only react. Takato spotted Gungnir where it had fallen earlier and dove to grab it. With the lance in hand, now glowing a bright red itself, he shot into the air just ChaosGallantmon moved to release his weapon. The two attacks hit dead-on, consuming the immediate area with light and energy.

Takato came to a few seconds later, relieved to see that his Mega form had held through the blast. He was less relieved to see the current state of the area. The earth around them was scorched, with everything around the that was green a minute ago now being a dark brown.

ChaosGallantmon stood in the midst of the group with his armor singed and cracked. Takato's first instinct was to stand right back up, but found himself straining to do so. He had taken the brunt of the last attack and would need a couple minutes before he could jump back into the fight.

Unfortunately, his counterpart seemed like he was unwilling to give him that opportunity. ChaosGallantmon began to move in Takato's direction, and was only stopped when a small cluster of artillery impeded his progress. Both knights turned in the direction the attack had come from, revealing this reality's MegaGargomon to be behind it.

"Not a chance, buddy," MegaGargomon called out. He looked like he was about to advance on his target, but his form started to pixelate before he could move.

"What's going on?" Takato asked. This wasn't happening to anyone else at the moment.

"Dammit," Henry grunted. "Terriermon must not have spent enough time on the other side to stabilize. We're coming apart."

ChaosGallantmon stood still for a moment and watched the effects of Juggernaut take hold of MegaGargomon. He materialized his broadsword just as the giant, green digimon split apart. The dark knight began to walk towards them, but whatever intentions he had were interrupted when he was tackled mid-stride.

"Oh no ya don't!" Beelzemon yelled as rolled off his opponent. "You wanna hurt dem, you gotta go through me."

Beelzemon lunged forward with a glowing purple claw, but ended up missing his strike entirely. ChaosGallantmon wasted no time retaliating by driving his sword through Beelzemon's left wing, causing the Demon Lord to drop to his knees in pain.

The only feeling more prevalent to Takato at the moment than his helplessness was his surprise. ChaosGallantmon stood over Beelzemon for a few seconds after that, as though he were taking time to consider his next action. Granted, it difficult to be sure given the lack of genuine emotion on the knight's face, but ChaosGallantmon had taken every opportunity to strike that he could since this fight began.

Takato wondered if his double was more conscious than he had been letting on. Whether it was the notion of having Beelzemon once again at his mercy or just the repeated violence, something more was going on internally. For better or worse, the scenario wouldn't get a chance to play out any further.

ChaosGallantmon stepped back as Justimon's blade came down in between him and Beelzemon. As Justimon tried to recover for a second strike, ChaosGallantmon took hold of the cyborg digimon's face and proceeded to pile-drive him into the ground. The deed done, ChaosGallantmon didn't hesitate to throw Justimon aside.

The feral Mega would not get a chance to choose his next target. One of Sakuyamon's barriers formed around him, with a number of cherry blossoms appearing inside the sphere. Takato turned to the shaman just in time to watch her close one of her gloved hands into a fist, which resulted in all of the blossoms converging on his double.

ChaosGallantmon snarled as the attack began to eat away at him, though Takato couldn't tell if it was due to rage, pain, or a mixture of the two. The end result was him letting out one final roar, which shattered the field with enough force that it knocked Sakuyamon off her feet. Continuing with his fit, ChaosGallantmon flew at Sakuyamon with his sword extended. Takato felt his heart stop right up until the sword halted mere inches from Sakuyamon's face.

This time there was no mistaking it. There was a shift in ChaosGallantmon's eyes, albeit for a brief second. Takato saw a glimpse of fear in him as he looked at his would-be victim. Whether his namesake was in control or not didn't matter, as he was now sure that part of him resisting some of his more violent tendencies.

Takato immediately found his mind stuck on the possibility that his doppelganger was actually in complete control but dragging the fight out anyway. It was _mostly_ illogical, right up until one possible explanation occurred to him that started to make too much sense.

ChaosGallantmon's attention snapped upward as he finally realized that MegaGargomon was standing over him again. Henry had jumped back into action the second ChaosGallantmon had moved to attack, which allowed Takato to breath a sigh of relief and tell himself that Rika had never been in any danger. Henry had likely only stopped because his target had done the same.

This was no longer the case, however, as ChaosGallantmon quickly flew back into action. MegaGargomon tried to keep up, trying to drop one of his massive fists down on top of him, but the knight was able to easily maneuver around the strike. ChaosGallantmon quickly retaliated, slashing his sword across MegaGargomon's shoulder and actually managing to pierce his armor.

Takato managed to not be too concerned about MegaGargomon's arm falling limply by his side, as he and Guilmon had finally managed to call on enough strength to dive back into the fight. Just as ChaosGallantmon was about to bring his weapon to bear one more time, Takato stepped in between them and intercepted the broadsword with his own.

Gripping Blutgang with both hands, Takato pushed back against his doppelganger, but with little avail. They were locked in a stalemate, but this actually suited Takato just fine. It was just the opportunity he had been looking for.

"Look..." Takato said as he held his ground. "I know what you're trying to do, but none of us _want_ to kill you."

ChaosGallantmon just growled back at, still either unwilling or unable to listen. Not that Takato was going to let this deter him.

"You're not a monster that needs to be put down," he continued. "You just made a mistake. A terrible mistake that you can never take back, yeah, but we want to give you a chance. All you have to do is stop this right now."

Still nothing from ChaosGallantmon. If anything, Takato's words encouraged him to push harder.

"I don't think he wants to listen to us," Guilmon pointed out.

"Plan B then," Takato replied.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Sorry, boy..."

Takato brought their shared head back before slamming it into their double's face. Both parties staggered backwards, with what looked like surprise coming to ChaosGallantmon's eyes.

"That's not what I meant all those times I told you to use your head," Rika said as Sakuyamon touched down at Takato's side.

"Since we're made of data, do you think it's possible to covert our memories into video files?" Terriermon asked. "Because I would love to watch that over and over again."

"Terriermon..." Henry groaned.

"Okay, but this conversation is _not_ done."

ChaosGallantmon let off a roar that drew all their attentions forward. A massive amount of energy was building around his digicore, which Takato instantly recognized as Grani's Yuggoth Blaster. The attack had become integrated into their armor when they had first merged with the former ark.

"So, how're we going to win this?" Rika asked.

"Together," Takato answered.

"That's great, Captain Cheese-ball, but I meant specifically."

"So did I." Takato drove Blutgang into the ground and took a single step towards his counterpart. "We pool our energy and end this right now."

"You wanna hit him with the full burst?" Henry asked.

"No, just enough to knock him down."

"If you say so," Rika conceded. Takato turned towards Sakuyamon and found a smile on the shaman's face. It was enough to allow him to believe they had this fight won.

Sakuyamon's staff hit the ground, forming one more barrier that wrapped around their three Mega forms. It wasn't for protection, as they had discovered through training that it also served as an effective conduit for transferring energy. In a manner similar to their shared "Trinity Burst" technique, Sakuyamon and MegaGargomon's power was added to Gallantmon's own.

Before Takato could question whether the small amount he took would be enough, ChaosGallantmon released his attack. Forced into action, Takato pushed forward and met the attack head-on.

It was a struggle at first, as the dark knight definitely outclassed even Crimson Mode when it came to raw power. Takato, however, had one advantage his double didn't, one that he left behind a long time ago.

Takato gave one last push, causing the blast around him to dissipate. With one last battle cry from him and Guilmon, they drove their right fist into ChaosGallantmon's center mass, resulting in him finally breaking down into his component parts.

As the battlefield settled down, Takato looked down at his other self. He lay still at first, but he soon showed signs of consciousness. Turning his attention to battle-scarred park around them, Takato couldn't feel as though this was a total victory. All this death and destruction because of pain his double felt he could no longer live with.

Takato slowly returned to Blutgang and pulled the sword from the ground. He wasn't completely sure what the right thing to do was, but he knew the time to make that decision had arrived.

* * *

 _So it was one year ago today that I posted the first chapter of_ Just a Universe Apart _, and thus marking a full year of me writing on this site. Wouldn't normally be so sentimental about something like that, but a whole lot has changed for me in that time. Also kind of fitting to post this chapter today, as the end of this story is finally in sight._


	21. Promises Kept

Disclaimer: I do not own _Digimon_ or any of its characters. This is a nonprofit, fan-based story. Please support the official release.

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Promises Kept**

Rika gripped her staff tighter as Gallantmon walked closer to what was left of his double, sword in hand and likely prepared to use it if necessary. Rika shook her head, angry at herself for letting the scene in front of her make her so nervous. The fight was over and they were all in one piece, so she should have been more relieved than anything else.

Unfortunately, the truth was that this fight wasn't entirely over, as one of its combatant's fate was still yet to be decided. Again, Rika had no idea what she was worried about. There was no way Takato would actually go through with killing his doppelganger, as striking down a defenseless opponent went against everything she had ever known him to stand for. She found herself pausing at that last notion, especially after looking at the version of Takato currently regaining consciousness.

Rika had meant what she had told Takato the previous night. The future would be full of days where they would have to make difficult decisions. Still, she found herself wishing she could take what she said back. Even the smallest chance that Takato could fall into his double's line of thinking was suddenly too large a chance in her mind.

"It won't come to that," Renamon assured her, speaking quietly so no one else could hear.

"I know," Rika replied calmly.

Takato would do the right thing, just like he always did. If that included making sure his double never hurt anyone else, Rika knew that she was more than fast enough to step in and do the deed herself. It would be only one more thing for her conscience to carry, and she would rather Takato be upset with her rather than give up an important part of himself.

Gallantmon finally reached this reality's version of Takato, who was now sitting in an upright position. The Royal Knight pointed his broadsword at the boy and waited for the two of them to make eye-contact. This brief moment told Rika everything she needed to know.

At first, Takato's double looked back up at him with conviction in his eyes, much the same way Takato himself often did. He seemed ready to accept his fate. Upon closer inspection, however, it became apparent that this wasn't entirely the case. Despite the show his eyes were putting on, the boys hands were shaking, betraying the fear he felt at that moment.

Gallantmon let his sword fall to his side, likely having noticed this as well. The knight sighed before splitting apart. Rika glanced up at MegaGargomon before exchanging a nod and both dropping out of their Mega forms as well.

"Why'd you do it?" Takato asked.

"I think you already know why," his double answered weakly, likely a combination of sadness and exhaustion. "When did you figure it out?"

"I had my suspicions after you attacked Jeri. It became even more obvious as the fight went on."

"Wait, I'm confused," Terriermon cut in. "What exactly are they talking about?"

"It was all a show, Terriermon," Henry explained. "He wanted one of us to kill him, probably so he couldn't hurt anyone else."

"Well, that's... kinda dark." Terriermon's gaze shifted to the ground, probably having a little trouble with the answer he had just received.

Not that Rika could blame him. Knowing Takato as well as she did, this revelation didn't surprise her, but it did cause her chest to clench up a bit. She wanted to chalk this whole scenario up to Takato's doppelganger not using his brain, but couldn't due to the pain she knew he was feeling.

"That's just how things are now," Takato's double stated, before returning his attention to his counterpart. "You were right. I'm too unstable to be trusted anymore. Even in that last fight, there were moments when I couldn't control myself."

"That doesn't mean there aren't other options," Rika countered, almost without thinking. She hesitated for a split second, looking to her friends to see if they wanted to speak in her place. "You don't _have_ to die."

Takato's double gave her his attention for a split second before looking away again, shame plastered all over his face. "I'm not sure that..." He trailed off as this reality's version of Henry finally approached.

Henry's double wore a mostly emotionless expression, making it difficult for Rika to guess what he was thinking. His Terriermon was in his arms, bits of data falling off him. Not the worst Rika had ever seen a digimon suffering from Juggernaut's effects, but still something they would have to deal with soon.

"Henry..." Takato's doppelganger began. "I'm so-"

"There's no time for that," Henry's counterpart said instantly. "Can Guilmon stop the reality tears or not?"

"I... don't know."

"Well, it's time we found out. The way things are going, the city doesn't have much time." He received no immediate response, with everyone taking a second to consider the point he had just made.

"Wait a sec there," Beelzemon chimed in. He hobbled into the group while clutching his mangled wing. "They ain't exactly in good shape right now."

"Your point?"

"Using absorbed powers ain't easy when ya haven't had da crap beatin' out of ya." Beelzemon cursed under his breath as he tried to manage his injury. "You mix dat wit da fact dat it's Big Bird's powers were talkin' about, and Pineapple-head could tear himself apart."

"You think I want things to be this way?" Henry shot back, all his emotions coming back at once. "Look at where we are right now! There's no other way!"

"Come on, guys..." Takato said as he tried to step into the escalating argument.

Despite the situation in front of her, Rika found her attention being drawn back to Takato's double, who still hadn't moved from his spot on the ground. To his right, Guilmon had made his way over to his vicinity. The saurian was currently sniffing his own counterpart, who himself was starting to regain consciousness.

Tears came out of Takato's eyes as he took a couple seconds to look at his partner. While Guilmon still didn't display any of the traits Rika associated with his counterpart, he did lift himself off the ground and wipe a tear away with one of his claws. Takato responded by resting his forehead against the digimon's snout.

"I'm so sorry, boy," Takato choked. Rika needed no clarification as to the decision he had just made.

* * *

Suzie hadn't argued when Beelzemon asked her and Lopmon to watch Jeri. They had been outclassed during their last confrontation with ChaosGallantmon, and Suzie once again felt a little guilt for letting Jeri out of her sight earlier. They simply ended up sitting tight until the fighting died down and gave them the opportunity to rejoin the others.

The walk to Shinjuku Park had been mostly a quiet one, with only some light conversation between Ai and Mako filling the silence. None of them got anything from Jeri, not even the sadness the older girl had been giving off earlier. This left Suzie unsure as to where to even begin talking to her.

Finally reuniting with Takato's group didn't really do anything to remedy the silence. Most of them stayed quiet other than getting them up to speed. The situation seemed to be that, with the fighting now over, this reality's Takato had agreed to close the reality tears.

"So, how's this supposed to work?" Suzie asked her brother. She still couldn't bring herself to be surprised that he'd found his way to them.

"The other Takato says they absorbed Zhuqiaomon while bio-merged," Henry answered, straining a bit due the wound on his shoulder. He had claimed it was nothing serious, but that didn't mean that Suzie wasn't going to make sure he saw a doctor when they got home. "He claims that the only way for them to access those powers is through their Mega form."

"You don't believe him?"

"I don't know..." Henry shook his head and looked over to the Tamer in question. "Honestly, I think he just doesn't want Guilmon to be alone in case he doesn't survive the process."

Looking over to Lopmon, who was standing at her side, Suzie found that she could more than sympathize with the sentiment. Put in the same position, she would likely do the same rather than try to live in a world without her partner.

"How do you think a Juggernaut cure will factor into this?" Suzie inquired further.

"That I _really_ don't know," Henry stated, now seeming uncomfortable with their line of conversation. "If closing the tears doesn't kill them, dispersing the cure into both cities probably will."

Suzie had no response for that statement, which meant complete silence once again followed. As it looked right now, there didn't seem to be anything left to do other carry out the plan.

"So, what are we waiting around- Ow!" Mako began before Ai whacked him on the back of the head. He took that as a signal to keep the thought to himself.

Silence again, this time lasting until Takato stepped forward and approached his double and stuck his hand out to him. "Thanks for doing this," he said.

The other Takato hesitated for a couple seconds, seeming like he was unsure how to respond. He nervously took hold of the hand presented to him and shook. "Just promise you'll look after them," he replied as he looked from Tamer to Tamer.

"Always." Takato grinned, doing a pretty good job at seeming optimistic.

"Should we be letting them touch like that?" Terriermon asked suddenly. "Can't that make the whole universe explode?"

"That's time travel," Henry explained. "And I'm pretty sure that's only in movies."

"And how would you know that?" the other Terriermon asked weakly. "Have you ever time traveled before?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So, what you're saying is the universe could be getting ready to blow up as we speak," Terriermon cut back in.

"Terriermon..." Henry's double warned.

Suzie found herself smiling at the scene, as it helped her take her mind off of everything that had happened over the last couple days. That said, she was pretty sure that neither version of Henry would miss having two versions of Terriermon around at all times.

Terriermon turned his attention to Henry's double and his own. "Are you guys going to be okay?" he asked.

"You mean other than the fact that I feel like I'm dying right now?" his counterpart responded.

"We'll pull through," the other Henry said as he looked to his reality's version of Takato. They exchanged a glance before turning away from each other again, which caused Suzie's heart to sink a little bit. Given everything that had transpired, this was likely the closest thing to a goodbye that the two would share.

With that in mind, Suzie moved over towards Ryo, who was standing by watching the whole thing with his partner. She was relieved and a bit surprised that the two hadn't tried to sneak off once the fight was over.

"I guess this is it," Ryo said casually.

"What's next for you guys?" Suzie asked, trying to match his tone. "Back to the Digital World?"

"Actually..." Ryo paused for a second to glance at the city skyline in the distance. "I think we're gonna stick around for a little while. Cyberdramon was just telling me how he thinks it'll be fun to play superhero for a bit."

"Yeah..." Cyberdramon growled. "Fun like a cereal bowl full of glass."

"I'm excited too, pal."

Suzie only hesitated for a split second before closing the distance between them and hugging her old mentor's doppelganger. She managed to hold back any tears as he returned the gesture, mainly because she was more relieved than sad. At least one of this world's Tamers might be able to start putting his life back together.

"No goodbye from you, Wildcat?" Ryo said suddenly, causing Suzie to twitch.

 _Of course..._ Suzie thought as she pulled away from Ryo.

"Goodbye," Rika deadpanned. While Suzie didn't know Rika as well as the others, she knew that that was the most Ryo was going to get out of the redhead without starting to annoy her. Suzie found herself repeating the thought as she took her place next to the Digimon Queen.

The only thing that was able to shift Suzie's attention again was Jeri making her way into the middle of the group. She stopped in front of this universe's Takato and waited for him to make eye-contact with her. Suzie looked around the rest of the group, finding that everyone seemed to be waiting to see which of them would speak first.

Neither of them ended up saying a word. Instead, Jeri gently wrapped her arms around the boy. Takato's double went stiff for a second before putting his left hand on Jeri's back and placing his face on her shoulder. They held that position for a few seconds before separating.

Things seemed to kick into high gear from there. Takato's counterpart pulled out his D-Power, resulting in him and his partner once again becoming ChaosGallantmon. At first, the knight paid the rest of them no mind, raising a hand at air in front of him. Within seconds, the familiar energy of a reality tear came to life.

Suzie held her breath as ChaosGallantmon finally acknowledged them, but rather than attack, he motioned for them to step through. Takato was the first to comply, followed by Guilmon and then everyone else. Now back in their own universe, none of them had second thoughts about looking back at the tear to see what was to come next.

At first, nothing happened, with it seeming like ChaosGallantmon was unsure of what to do next. Then the knight's digicore lit up with a white light that matched the glow of the reality tears. This was immediately followed by the air around them starting vibrate, and they braced themselves for what was to come next.

Data streaming off both his hands now, ChaosGallantmon pointed one in the direction of the Tamers and the other in the direction they had come from. The data flew at and around them, seeming to be trying to cover the entire city. This continued right up until the tear they had traveled through disappeared in flash.

The first thing Suzie did when she regained her sense of sight was look to her brother, hoping for some kind of reassurance that they had succeeded. Henry gave no concrete answer, but proceeded to look around the park and the city beyond. Shinjuku seemed calmer than it had in days.

* * *

The group ended up deciding to go their separate ways for the day. There had been some talk about going with Henry to a nearby hospital, but the Tamer in question had come down against the idea. He had argued that the closest hospitals were probably a bit busy at the moment, and that he could just as easily head back over to Hypnos to see their on-hand medical staff. Also making the point that he still had some things to grab from his cubicle, no one pushed the matter any further.

Jeri was currently only a block away from her own home. The walk there had been quiet despite the fact that two individuals had opted to accompany her. Jeri turned to her right, causing Suzie and Lopmon to dodge her gaze yet again. She had repeatedly caught the pair looking at her like she was going to disappear. She almost wished that she'd insisted a little harder that she didn't need to be walked home.

Everyone would cope with recent events in their own way, and Jeri knew they would all end up alright in the end. The fact that Takato and Rika were her biggest concern at the moment was actually a relief in its own way. The two had left together when the Tamers had parted, which Jeri chose to take as a sign that they were going to have that talk she had tried to get them to have a couple days ago.

"I think what happened was for the best," Lopmon declared suddenly, attracting both Jeri and Suzie's attention. The digimon shrank a bit at the attention before nervously continuing. "I-I mean not _everything_ , obviously. Ruki dying was terrible and I wish we could've saved her, and-"

"We know what you meant, Lop," Suzie said calmly. "Just speak your piece."

"Of course!" Lopmon paused for a second before directing her words at Jeri. "It's just that they were all stuck in a rut before we got there, where things could only really get worse for them. They might get worse still, but at least there's a chance that things can get better for some of them."

"What about Takato?" Jeri asked. Lopmon's thought was a nice one, but that didn't change the facts. The other Takato and Guilmon may have died putting things right, and Jeri could only come up with a very finite list of scenarios where that was better than living.

"He's finally at peace," Suzie stated before taking a turn at being flustered by her own words. "Well, that's the kind of thing my mom would say. I'm not sure I buy into the whole heaven or afterlife thing, but a lot of other people do, so..."

Jeri stayed quiet at first, not wanting to give pair the impression that their words weren't helping. If nothing else, their efforts felt familiar. They were currently running through the things Jeri remembered people saying when her mother had passed away. Like then, Jeri wasn't sure if any of it helped, but she had come to appreciate those peoples' intentions.

"Anyway..." Suzie continued. "I think the point Lop's trying to make is you probably did more good than you're giving yourself credit for."

"It doesn't feel that way yet," Jeri replied.

"That doesn't mean it's not true. The fact that you even tried makes a difference, and I should know that better than anyone."

At that, they finally arrived at their destination. They kept their goodbyes short, and Jeri watched Suzie until she was out of sight. Thinking back to how far the younger girl had come over the last few months, Jeri allowed herself the brief satisfaction of admitting that she sometimes got it right.

Said satisfaction was quickly interrupted by something soft and round landing on top of her head. Jeri looked up to find a familiar white and purple digimon.

"Hiya, Jeri!" Calumon shouted. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Have you now?" Jeri asked, finding it difficult to not smile.

"Yeah, I figured I'd better. Your dad's been going all kinds of nuts trying to figure out where you went."

"Crap!" Jeri had completely forgotten that she had disappeared for two days without a word to her father. She had no idea if he had eventually gotten any details from Hypnos, but knowing him it wouldn't matter. She ran inside, fully expecting the worst.

"And do I have a story to tell you," Calumon continued happily. "I had the craziest weekend."

"I bet you did."

Jeri fully intended to hear the digimon's story, and not just because she was about to be grounded and have nothing better to do. Lending an available ear to a friend was the least she could do.

* * *

"So everything's died down here?" Henry asked as he shut off the computer at his workstation. Packing up his things was a little slower due the sling on his right arm, but the handicap wasn't drastically impeding his progress. His taking the time to get a recap of things from Alice was probably doing a better job at that.

The girl in question stood off to the side by her own computer, already set to leave herself. Henry considered asking about her waiting on him, but decided to put that off at least for the moment.

"That's what I was told at least," Alice answered. "All tear activity is at absolute zero at the moment. Any anomalies being reported upstairs are just what's typical for this city."

"In other words, it worked."

"Seems that way..." Alice paused for a beat as though she were considering her next question. "Does that mean that Juggernaut's not an issue anymore either?"

"I think it's still too early to be sure." Henry paused himself to pull his bag over his left shoulder. "I'll run some tests later this week. Either way, we'll know soon enough."

"Later this week, huh?" Alice raised an eyebrow, a reaction that shouldn't have surprised Henry. She obviously had not been oblivious to his fixation with Hypnos's "digimon killer," so she probably wasn't expecting his casual response to her question.

"Honestly, I want to just believe it worked for a little while," Henry explained. "Someone one died trying to disperse the cure."

" _Someone_ who was spending his free time indiscriminately cutting down wild digimon," Alice pointed out. "As far as I'm concerned, that was the least he deserved."

"It was more complicated than that."

"Or are you just saying that because he looked exactly like your best friend?"

Henry hesitated before responding, which seemed to answer the question. Not that Alice seemed to take his silence as some kind of win. On the contrary, she seemed just as down by his lack of a response. Henry supposed her constant challenging him had nothing to do with wanting to be right all the time. Looking back at their past arguments now, he wondered if they had more to do with trying to get him to consider different points of view and look at things more objectively.

"Anyway..." Alice said suddenly, breaking his train of thought. "Yamaki told me to take the rest of week off. I'm assuming I have you to thank for that."

"Could be," Henry replied with a shrug, which also resulted in a sharp pain in his shoulder. "He told me the same thing."

"And then it's back to business as usual _next_ Monday?" Alice stepped out of cubicle, which Henry took as a sign to follow her towards the elevator.

"I'm... not sure." Henry paused yet again, not really sure how to follow the answer up. Not that this mattered, as he now had Alice's attention.

"Did something change in the last few hours?"

"I don't know if I can explain it."

"Try me." For once, Alice's eyes were rightfully accusing him of something.

Henry took a deep breath. "The other me... He had no problem letting his reality's Takato sacrifice himself. Kept saying that there was 'no other way,' just like my father did after we beat the D-Reaper."

"I've met your father, Henry. There are worse people you could become."

"I know, it's just..." That was the less pressing issue on Henry's mind. Sending Terriermon and the others away had been one thing, but letting a friend go to his death without a second thought was a completely different game altogether. "I don't know if I want to be the guy who makes those calls."

With that thought, they arrived at the elevator. Before Henry could fumble with his things to hit the call button, Alice pushed it for him. The two of them remained silent until the elevator arrived.

"I guess that means I'm going to have to quit too?" Alice asked before hitting the button for the lobby.

Henry grinned, but waited until the doors closed to respond. "You're going to miss me, aren't you?"

"I did _not_ say that." Alice kept her voice low, but Henry recognized the tone she used when she was irritated. "I just don't want to be stuck with double the work load."

"Which would be made even worse by how much you'd miss me."

"I hate you," Alice muttered as she finally turned away from him.

Henry let her have the last word, feeling that they could both agree he had won _that_ argument.

* * *

Sunset in Shinjuku Park had a calming effect in Terriermon's mind. It lacked both the daytime's foot traffic and the sense of unease that nighttime seemed to put some people under. It was also the most pleasing scenically, but Terriermon's current companion wasn't exactly someone he wanted to take in a romantic view with.

"Why're you out here instead of home again?" Impmon asked as he jumped from one tree branch to the next.

"I could ask you the same question," Terriermon answered as he followed suit.

"Ai and Mako are settled and I needed some air." Impmon stopped to let Terriermon catch up with him, even though Terriermon could have easily caught up on his own. "You, on da other hand, have been complainin' about yer partner not being around fer weeks. Den da second he starts ta come around you run da other way."

"I know where to find Henry if I need him. I'm not gonna hover over him." Terriermon then put his ear to the air at the sound of familiar voices. He grinned upon confirming their identities. "Besides, there's something going down here tonight that I want a front row seat to."

Terriermon didn't hesitate to head off in the direction of the voices, coming to a stop on a tree branch just above one of the park's walkways. Below him, both completely unaware of his presence, were Takato and Rika.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me," Impmon growled once he caught up.

"Just keep quiet," Terriermon whispered back. Not that there was much to hear at the moment. The two teens were just standing there, just out of arm's reach from each other.

"I got a bad feelin' about dis."

"A sign of good sense, in my opinion," Renamon's voice echoed as the kitsune appeared right behind them. She zeroed in on Terriermon. "Leave. Now."

"And if I don't?" Terriermon asked back, though he had a pretty good idea of how she was going to respond.

"Then I'll remove you."

"And you'd probably succeed." Terriermon maintained eye-contact, enjoying the challenge being presented to him. "But who knows how much noise I'll make in the process? How do you think Rika will react knowing I was present for _any_ part of their conversation?"

Renamon glared back at him, which was the closest thing he would get to a display of anger. Terriermon glanced towards Impmon, who looked like he wanted to make himself scarce. Not that Terriermon let this bother him, as he felt pretty confident at the moment.

"So..." Rika's voice brought all their attentions downward again.

"Yeah..." came Takato's nervous reply. If this was any indication, Terriermon hadn't missed much.

"Things should be getting back normal around here, right?" Rika asked awkwardly. Terriermon guessed that Rika's hatred of small talk came from the fact that she was awful at it.

"Yeah, I guess," Takato answered, obviously with something else on his mind.

"Just... promise me you'll never turn out like that. One psychotic Goggle-head was more than enough."

"I don't think that'll be an issue as long as I've got you." Takato tried to smile, but that fell away when Rika turned away from him.

"Bleh," Impmon whispered, which resulted in another glare from Renamon.

"Look, Rika..." Takato said softly after a few seconds. "Can we just talk about... things?"

"I guess there's no putting it off," Rika replied, taking a second herself before continuing. "Okay... why me?"

Takato's eyes widened, almost as though the question didn't compute. "How many reasons do you need?"

"Takato..." Rika's nervousness became irritation for a brief second.

"I'm serious!" Takato seemed to be getting his confidence back. "If I listed off every reason floating around in my head right now, this conversation would turn into a scene from one of those movies I know you hate."

"Betcha there's part of him that wants to give that speech," Terriermon commented.

"Like I said, bleh," Impmon added.

"But I don't expect you to feel the same way," Takato continued, looking downward as he spoke. "And I'd rather learn to live with that fact instead of letting this come between us. A couple days in a world where we're not friends is more than enough for me too."

Rika looked away from Takato too now. Terriermon even felt bad for listening in for a split second, but this went away on closer inspection of Rika. She was definitely mulling something over in her head.

"I..." Rika began, almost straining to speak. "...never said I _didn't_ feel the same way."

"So you're saying..." Takato responded, hope coming back to his eyes.

"That's _all_ I'm saying." Rika turned as though she was about to leave before quickly pivoting to face the boy again. "Leave it to you to take a good thing and make it complicated!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Well, you should be!" Rika shook her head, irritation and anger winning out. "'I want to be with Rika.' What does that even mean to you?"

"I'm..." Takato scratched the back of his head. "...not really sure."

"Of course you're not..."

"Hey, don't try to put this all on me." Takato looked right into Rika's eyes. If Terriermon didn't know better, he'd say the Tamers' leader was becoming frustrated. "Obviously it means something to you too, or this conversation would be over already."

"And look what it's doing to me!"

The pair went quiet for a few seconds after, with the silence being broken by both of them laughing under their breath. This left Terriermon confused, as he was now stuck trying to figure out if the two of them were actually fighting.

"I guess we've still got a lot of stuff to work out," Takato said once he stopped laughing.

"We might have to put a pin in that for now," Rika replied as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm still on edge from everything we've been through. All I really want to do right now is go home and see Mom and Grandma."

"Yeah, I've never seen Guilmon run home so fast for something that wasn't food." Takato looked off in the general direction of his home before returning his attention to Rika. "So when do you think would be a good time to... unpin all this?"

"What are you doing after school tomorrow?"

"I guess dat's it," Impmon pointed out.

"It is," Renamon confirmed. "Now I think the two of you should leave before-"

Terriermon never gave the kitsune a chance to finish. That ending had seemed anticlimactic to him, so there was no way he was going to let humans leave things at that. Wrapping an ear around the branch he was standing one, he dropped down into the teens' line of sight but still out of their reach.

"Why put things off til tomorrow?" Terriermon called out to them. "There are a couple sturdy tree branches up here, if you know what I mean."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rika yelled, with angry being a conservative way of describing her. Takato merely sighed and let his shoulders sink down. In other words, exactly the reactions Terriermon expected from the two.

"Being the best wing mon Takato could ask for," Terriermon answered proudly.

"That's not how I'd describe it," Takato said, not hiding his resignation.

"Don't be like that, buddy. Who else is up to the task of helping you win your _dream girl_?"

All emotion seemed to drain from Takato's face. He looked to Rika, who looked like she was about to snap.

" _You_ told _him_?" Rika asked quietly. Terriermon wondered if this was what it felt like to be in the eye of a hurricane.

"W-Well, the whole situation was a bit more complicated than that," Takato explained as he slowly backed away from the redhead. "You see-"

"Oh, don't be so hard on him, Rika," Terriermon chimed back in, which caused her glare to find its way back in his direction. "True love's hard to keep on the inside."

"Renamon!"

Rika's intentions didn't register with Terriermon, at least not until a foot slammed down on the ear he was using to secure himself to the tree branch. His grip loosened and he plummeted to the ground below. Looking up to find Rika standing over him ominously, Terriermon's first reaction was to try and slip away, though he found this to be difficult once she grabbed hold of the ear that hadn't been stomped on.

"Ow!" Terriermon cried out. "What is with you people and my ears?"

"I just wanna make sure you can hear me," Rika growled down at him. "Now if you tell anyone else about..." She trailed off upon noticing that Takato was slowly walking away.

"Oh, hey..." Takato said nervously once they made eye-contact. "I was thinking that you're probably right. We're all on edge and tomorrow would be a great time to try and have this talk again."

"Takato, get back here right now or so help me-"

"You know, whoever said angry girls aren't pretty never met you."

"That..." Rika's face started to redden. "...has nothing to do with anything, you stupid Goggle-head!"

 _Sheesh... so much for our fearless leader_ , Terriermon thought as Takato used Rika's flustered state to finally make a break for it. Apparently he could face the Zhuqiaomon, the D-Reaper, and alternate-reality doppelgangers, but the thought of facing the Digimon Queen's wrath was where he drew the line.

Terriermon tried to use the distraction to leave himself, but the attempt only caused Rika to hold his ear even tighter. He looked back up at her and sighed, deciding that he really didn't have much less to lose at this point.

"So..." Terriermon said casually. "When are you two gonna start having kids?"

As he waited for Rika's reaction, Terriermon tried to tell himself that at least the universe wasn't collapsing around them. That, of course, led to a completely different train of thought. He wondered if there was a reality where Rika currently didn't want to kill him and if there was a way to travel there at that moment.

* * *

 _And... there it is. After nine months, though, I think it's about time. Longer than that, now that I think about it, as the very earliest version of this story predates_ Just a Universe Apart _. Kind of glad I ended up sitting on it a little, as I got to use that fic as this one's foundation. In my opinion, this version is infinitely better than my original idea._

 _Anywho... shout outs to_ Zerato, Takawai, Naito Writer, He Who Seeks Joy in Life, _and_ callofcamo _for reviewing. Special shout out to_ Crazyeight _, who's reviewed consistently almost since I started posting this story, which in turn helped to shape some aspects of the characters and plot._

 _It's funny, but I knew I wanted to write this story by the time I finished my last one. Right now, I'm not sure what's coming next. I guess time will tell. Until then, leave a review if you feel up to it and I'll talk at you guys later._


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